7:84

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7:84 was a Scottish left-wing agitprop theatre group. The name comes from a statistic on distribution of wealth in the United Kingdom, published in The Economist in 1966, that 7% of the population of the UK owned 84% of the country's wealth.

Contents

The group was founded by playwright John McGrath, his wife Elizabeth MacLennan and her brother David MacLennan in 1971, and operated throughout Great Britain. [1] In 1973, it split into 7:84 (England) and 7:84 (Scotland). The English group folded in 1984, having lost its grant from the Arts Council of Great Britain. [2] Jo Beddoe joined the Scottish group as producer in 1988 until 1992; [3] however, it lost its funding from the Scottish Arts Council in 2006, though Artistic Director Lorenzo Mele successfully secured funding for a further year from April 2007. [4] He subsequently commissioned a series of four plays, Wound by Nicola McCartney, Eclipse by Haresh Sharma, A Time To Go by Selma Dimitrijevic, and Doch-An-Doris (A Parting Drink) by Linda McLean. Together, these short plays formed Re:Union, a production which toured Scotland in early 2007. This was followed in September 2007 by Raman Mundair's The Algebra of Freedom, which also toured extensively throughout Scotland. This production was directed by 7:84's Associate Director, Jo Ronan, and designed by David Sneddon.

On 31 December 2008, the Scottish company ceased operating, citing "the changing funding structures in Scottish theatre." [5]

Touring productions

Although much of its work centres on outreach projects throughout Scotland, 7:84 was principally known for its touring productions. The following table contains details of all 7:84's major productions that toured nationally.

ShowDirectorWriterDate
The Algebra of FreedomJo Ronan Raman Mundair 5 September – 6 October 2007
Re:UnionLorenzo Mele & Jo RonanSelma Dimitrijevic, Nicola McCartney, Linda McLean & Haresh Sharma 11 April – 5 May 2007
Free-FallLorenzo MeleChristopher Deans16 February – 8 April 2006
BorderlandAndrew Doyle22 September – 5 November 2005
Tipping PointDavey Anderson6 June – 3 July 2005
Boiling a FrogChristopher Deans (based on the novel by Christopher Brookmyre)3 February – 2 April 2005
Private AgendaN/A2 September – 23 October 2004
Reasons to be CheerfulStuart DavidsMartin McCardie19 February – 10 April 2004
Gilt Zinnie Harris Stephen Greenhorn, Rona Munro & Isabel Wright2 October – 9 November 2003
Can't Pay? Won't Pay! Andy Arnold Dario Fo 6 February – 22 March 2003
Factory GirlsGuy Hollands Frank McGuinness 3 October – 9 November 2002
Cave DwellersGordon LairdNicola McCartney14 February – 23 March 2002
The News at When...?N/A23 November – 22 December 2001
Marching On Gary Mitchell 29 March – 12 April 2001
A Little RainPeter Arnott22 September – 5 November 2005
24 HoursIain ReekieFrances Corr, Deirdre Heddon, Jess Kerr, Ernie Kyle, Frank Shields, Rhiannon Tise16 March – 22 April 2000
Caledonia Dreaming David Greig 6 June – 19 July 1999 and later revived at the 1999 Edinburgh Festival
Dissent Stephen Greenhorn 5 November – 6 December 1998
Valley SongNatalie Wilson Athol Fugard 19 May – 14 June 1998
TonguesAndrew Dawson, John Heraghty, Natalie Wilson11–28 February 1997
Angels in America Iain Reekie Tony Kushner 29 March – May 1996
Born GuiltyPeter Sichrovsky27 April – 18 June 1995
The Salt WoundJim Culleton Stephen Greenhorn 21 September – 5 November 1994
The Grapes of Wrath Iain Reekie Frank Galati 25 February – 1 March 1994
Twilight Shift Jackie Kay 6 October – 7 November 1993
PhoenixRoy MacGregor11 May – 20 June 1993
Sophocles' Antigone Dan Taylor23 February – 27 March 1993
The Lament for Arthur Cleary Dermot Bolger 14 October – 21 November 1992
Scotland MattersJohn Binnie, Iain Heggie, Liz Lochhead, Ann-Marie Di Mambro, Gurmeet Mattu, Rona Munro & Jimmy Reid 12 May – 6 June 1992
Jump the Life to Come Noel Greig 6 February – 15 March 1992
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Roanna BennRalf Manheim / Bertolt Brecht 4 October – 4 November 1991
Revolting PeasantsGerard Kelly Patricia Prior 14 May – 15 June 1991
Bold GirlsLynne Parker Rona Munro 27 September – 17 November 1990
Govan StoriesRoanna Benn2–25 May 1990
When The Wind Blows Gerard Kelly Raymond Briggs 25 August – 7 October 1989
Road David Hayman Jim Cartwright 8 May – 3 June 1989
The SashGerard KellyHector MacMillan24 January – 25 April 1989 [6] [7]
Long Story ShortFinlay WelshDonald Campbell, James Graham, Tom Leonard, Aonghas Macneacoil, Ann Marie Di Mambro, Gureet Mattu, Rona Munro, Ricky Ross and Ann Samuel28 February – 31 March 1989
No Mean CityAlex NortonDavid Hayman24 May – 16 July 1988
Mairi Mhor - The Woman from Skye John McGrath John McGrath2 September – 17 October 1987
The Gorbals StoryDavid HaymanRobert McLeish6 May – 20 June 1987
There is a Happy Land John McGrath John McGrath 25 April – 7 June 1986
Beneath One BannerDavid MaclennanSean McCarthy13 February – 5 April 1986
The Incredible Brechin Beetle BugJohn Haswell Matt McGinn 3 December – 16 January 1986
High PlacesEna Lamont Stewart13 March – 16 May 1985
The AlbannachFinlay Welsh John McGrath 28 February – 26 April 1985
In Time of StrifeDavid Hayman Joe Corrie 7 May – 15 June 1984
The Baby and the BathwaterJohn Haswell John McGrath 19 October – 8 December 1984
The Ragged Trousered PhilanthropistsDavid Hayman Archie Hind 8 May – 9 June 1984
The Clydebuilt Season10 February – 15 May 1982
Gold in his Boots John McGrath George Munro
Johnny Noble David Scase Ewan MacColl
Men Should Weep Giles Havergal Ena Lamont Stewart
One Big BlowJohn BurrowsJohn Burrows1981
The Catch John McGrath John McGrath 15 August – 7 November 1981
Blood Red Roses18 August – 8 November 1980
Swings and Roundabouts26 February - 22 March 1980
Joe's DrumCampbell Morrison21 May – 22 June 1979
Thought for TodayDavid MaclennanCompany collaboration10 February – 16 March 1977
Honour Your PartnersDavid Maclennan27 January – 10 April 1976
Little Red Hen John McGrath 16 September – 13 December 1975
The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black Black Oil 31 March – June 1973
The Game’s a Bogey1974

Notable people

Reviews

Findlay, Bill (1982), review of Clydebuilt: A season of Scottish Popular Drama from the '20s, '30s and '40s, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), Cencrastus No. 10, Autumn 1982, p. 39, ISSN   0264-0856

References

  1. ↑ "University of Glasgow Library - Collections - Scottish Theatre Archive". www.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Funding axed for theatre company". BBC News. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Bird, Charlotte (12 April 2018). "Jo Beddoe obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Reprieve for 7:84 theatre company". BBC News. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  5. ↑ Announcement posted at http://www.784theatre.co.uk/. Cached page available https://www.webcitation.org/5pnoU9luB?url=
  6. ↑ Preview of The Sash, The List, Issue 85, 13 - 26 January 1989, p. 22
  7. ↑ Review of The Sash by Sarah Hemming, The List, Issue 87, 10 - 23 February 1989, p. 24
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