MARCH 2009
MARTIN COMPSTON KATE DICKIE ANNE DOWNIE MATTHEW WORKMAN JULIET CADZOW DANIELLE STEWART SAMANTHA SHIELDS	FEATURE FILMS Busy filming three hander THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED, "the Josh Hartnett/Bruno Kirby hybrid, MARTIN COMPSTON" (Blogcritic.org Feb) is keeping cutting edge company. The Hollywood Reporter notes (Feb 7^th) – "Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston will headline the cast of contemporary kidnap thriller "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" . . . The film - shooting on the Isle of Man - marks the directorial debut of writer and short filmmaker J Blakeson, who co-wrote "The Descent 2" for Celador. Adrian Sturges, who recently won a best production British Independent Film Award for the Brian Cox/Joseph Fiennes starrer "The Escapist," is producing. "Creed" tells the tale of two kidnappers (Marsan and Compston) who carry out an immaculately planned kidnap after targeting rich girl Arterton. But things quickly unravel as the scheme plays out, with all three characters revealing an agenda that ends in a tense power play of greed, love, sex and violence." Meanwhile KATE DICKIE wrapped ensemble romantic drama SHELTER, co-starring John Lynch and Marcella Plunkett, in February. "SHELTER is a highly visual drama interweaving the lives of several characters in a contemporary urban setting over five days. Writer/Director Ger Leonard - "At the beginning, all the characters live untenable existences of quiet desperation.  These lives are portrayed and betrayed by their fleeting interactions with each other and crucially the animals in their lives." (NI Screen web). Kate immediately moved on to the chilling Romany thriller OUTCAST, co-starring James Nesbitt, and filming in Scotland and Ireland. More on this feature next month. BRYAN LARKIN has written, edited, produced and stars in RUNNING IN TRAFFIC, co-starring Kenneth Cranham, Anna Kerth and ANNE DOWNIE. Check the website for the background on this brilliant micro-budget feature with a macro-heart – www.runningintraffic.com. The film has three BAFTA (Scotland) NEW TALENT nominations: for Producing (including Bryan (congratulations)), Best Actress and Best Director. On general release the unavoidable film of the month in the UK is THE DAMNED UNITED. Martin Compston plays John O'Hare (13 caps for Scotland and now a scout for Glasgow Celtic) and the cast also features STEWART ROBERTSON as Archie Gemmill (capped 43 times and 22 times captain of Scotland), to Michael Sheen's Brian Clough (enuff said, young man) – the film premieres in London 18^th March / UK wide release from March 27^th ~ Still out there: KATE DICKIE co-stars with MATTHEW WORKMAN and new client SEAN KELLY in SUMMER. Directed by Kenny Glennan, EIFF Best Actor award winner Robert Carlyle plays the lead role (Kate is his Mum and Matthew and Sean are his younger selves) ~ Awaiting release: ~ Martin Compston has SOULED OUT (working title for the Northern Soul Saturday Night Fever with a score featuring Duffy and Paul Weller!) awaiting release in August this year ~ And with KATE DICKIE and co-starring James Cosmo, Martin has ROUNDING UP DONKEYS, the companion film to their 2006 international hit RED ROAD, also coming up ~ Recent films available on DVD – SOMERS TOWN (Kate Dickie), STONE OF DESTINY (Juliet Cadzow, Bryan Lowe, Danielle Stewart), DOOMSDAY (Martin Compston) RED ROAD (Dickie, Compston), A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS (Compston), THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (William Ruane), AE FOND KISS (Shabana Bakhsh, John Yule), TICKETS (Ruane, Compston), WILD COUNTRY (Samantha Shields, Compston), MORVERN CALLAR (McDermott), SWEET SIXTEEN (Compston, Ruane, Matt Costello)	JOSH? BRUNO? Kate with Thomas Turgoose in SOMERSTOWN (now on DVD) BRYAN LARKIN STEWART ROBERTSON SEAN KELLY BRYAN LOWE JOHN YULE MATT COSTELLO
ANTHONY BOWERS SHABANA BAKHSH JOHN PAUL HURLEY	TV KATHLEEN MCDERMOTT has an emotional guest lead role in CASUALTY (Saturday 7th) – She plays a young addict trying to score a hit by feigning a stomach condition when events escalate - the stunt work is great stuff (typical Casualty high standard) – this is a reminder of the hard edged performance Kathleen gave in MORVERN CALLAR ~ Meanwhile Kathleen and merry mancunian ANTHONY BOWERS begin filming HAPPY HOLLIDAYS this month as sparky Debbi and dopey Dean in the new Ford Kiernan led comedy series co-starring Karen Dunbar and Gavin Mitchell, set in a caravan park ~ WATERLOO ROAD continues on BBC1 with regular SHABANA BAKHSH as Jasmine Koreshi who's kissed that boy and he liked it! The current storyline about the death of one of the pupils is guaranteed to have fans wringing their hankies ~ Up north Scottish weekly drama RIVER CITY has resumed filming for the 2009 first block and GORDON MCCORKELL and EILEEN MCCALLUM have returned as regulars Deek and Liz - Watch out for JAMES WATSON as bee farming romantic interest Alain on screen soon and new client SEAN KELLY (SUMMER) as a thug and a half AND be prepared for the brief return of a familiar face from the original cast as WILLIAM RUANE revisits the role of Brian ~ BRYAN LARKIN takes the lead role in TOWNSVILLE - also starring JOHN PAUL HURLEY - this is a hi-tech police story transmitting at Easter – Broadcast Now has the info (www.broadcastnow.co.uk) > BBC Scotland is developing a cross-platform crime drama in which three-quarters of the action will take place online. Townsville will open with the discovery of a dead body in the eponymous fictional town, with more murders occurring during the next 48 hours of police investigation. The 4 x 40-minute drama will use video footage, still photos and special effects to create what the producers call a "2.5D" look. Online, each of the 19 characters will have his or her own narrative arc, many continuing from a scene in the show or depicting events mentioned in passing."	KATHLEEN MCDERMOTT GORDON MCCORKELL EILEEN MCCALLUM JAMES WATSON WILLIAM RUANE
REBECCA MCQUILLAN DAVID FITZGERALD GREG POWRIE DOUGAL LEE	THEATRE NEWS REBECCA MCQUILLAN is on tour with PACK OF LIES, directed by Christopher Morahan, starring Jenny Seagrove, Lorna Luft and Simon Shepherd. Produced by Bill Kenwright, with a possible West End season to follow, Rebecca is at the Richmond Theatre (London) 2^nd to 7^th March, Milton Keynes 9^th to 14^th March, Nottingham Theatre Royal 16^th to 21^st March, then weekly in Malvern and Cardiff in April ~ IAN GRIEVE directs gothic penny dreadful comedy THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP for the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh and Horsecross, Perth, playing in Edinburgh until 14^th / Perth until 4^th April – Four star review from the Scotsman "A thoroughly entertaining piece of comedy" / four stars and a rave review in the Times "Ian Grieve's enjoyable revival" ~ Going abroad with productions are SHABANA BAKHSH (off to Frankfurt and The Hague with award winning David Greig play YELLOW MOON for TAG Theatre Company) and DAVID FITZGERALD (off to Singapore and Tasmania with MARTHA for Catherine Wheels Theatre Company) ~ And staying at home: JORDAN YOUNG joins the cast of Sam Shepherd's CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS at the Lyceum, Edinburgh – opens on the 20^th ~ STEWART ROBERTSON is at the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, in THEIR CHEATIN HEARTS – JESSIE'S LAST STAND, a Glaswegian Country and Western comedy. . . opens 18^th ~ SCOTT HOATSON is in rehearsal for AFTER MARY ROSE for Magnetic North Theatre company who will be touring the production around Scotland including shows at the Traverse, Edinburgh and the Tramway, Glasgow ~ GREG POWRIE and DOUGAL LEE are joining the company of the Pitlochry Festival season 2009 (opens in May) ~	IAN GRIEVE JORDAN YOUNG SCOTT HOATSON
	Wednesday 18^th March NATASHA RICHARDSON Natasha never stood in anyone's shadow, even within her admirable family. She and I were good mates while training at Central and she made it clear in those formative few years that she was going to work her way up and that she was there to learn what she could do with her recognizable talents. She was a saving grace for those of us who were passionate and somewhat pretentious about acting. At only 18 she had an infectious, bubbly loud laugh and a formidable turn of phrase that revealed her vitality. Messing about with her on those classic drama school texts, taking on whatever we were tasked with, with all of her emotional nervous intensity, she was matchlessly determined to enjoy "getting it". I remember her shuddering at the sight of herself on screen as we watched a scene we had taped for a film workshop and feeling her grip on my hand relax as she stole the scene from under me. We met up occasionally after graduation, as she established herself in her early West End career, notably in "The Seagull", and she was as elegant as she was an exuberant friend. It was typical of her to make her career in New York, to find a home of her own, where she deservedly achieved recognition of how individually gifted she was. Her private life seemed blessed with happiness in the last decade or so and our hearts go out to her husband, her sons and her family. Nick
	AND FINALLY. . . HUNWICK HUGHES LTD was commended for the Arts & Business Scotland Small Business Award 2008 in recognition of our sole sponsorship of the Royal National Theatre Connections Summer showcase in Scotland in 2007 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, involving performances by eight youth theatre groups from Scotland, Ireland and Norway, and for supporting "opportunities for 1400 young people to participate in the Lyceum's Education programme and extend membership of the successful Lyceum Youth Theatre". Continuing our support for LYT, HUNWICK HUGHES LTD is establishing the Lyceum Youth Theatre Development Fund in 2009 as the founding donors.

BACK

NEWS ARCHIVE