Award-winning Scottish actress Siobhan Redmond joins The Network as the voice of Mum in Snowflake, a new play written and directed by the Lyceum Theatre Company’s former Artistic Director Mark Thomson.
Snowflake marks the first year of The Network, a partnership between the Scottish Drama Training Network and the Pleasance Theatre Trust providing emerging talent trained in Scotland with a launch pad into the industry
Snowflake receives its world premiere on 5 August in Pleasance Above (previews from 2 August); press night on 5 August
Actress Siobhan Redmond, Director of Scottish Drama Training Network Lucy Vaughan and director and writer Mark Thomson with Snowflake cast at the Edinburgh College’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS) Theatre
Award-winning Scottish theatre, television and film actress Siobhan Redmond joined rehearsals at Edinburgh College to record the role of the absentee mother in Mark Thomson’s new play, Snowflake. With themes of belonging and how to find human connection in a world dominated by social media, Snowflake has been inspired by the experiences and input from students across the Scottish Drama Training Network. It is a reflection of the struggles that face the generation which has grown up connected to a digital world.
Siobhan Redmond is a BAFTA-nominated actress (Between the Lines), with 30 years of experience working with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre of Scotland, and has appeared in long-running roles in many TV dramas such as The Bill, Holby City and Taggart, as well as featuring in Doctors, Eastenders, Benidorm, Midsummer Murders, New Tricks, and in Tim Burton’s 2016 film Alice Through The Looking Glass. Her stage credits include: Eleanor of Aquitaine in King John with RSC and Lady Macbeth in Dunsinane with the RSC/NTS; Mephistopheles in Dr Faustus at the West Yorkshire Playhouse; Titania/Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe; and appeared with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson in John Osborne’s play Don’t Look Back In Anger at The Lyric Theatre in London, directed by Judy Dench. She was appointed an MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours list for her services to drama.
Siobhan Redmond said: “I am delighted to be recording my voice as the part of Mum for The Network’s inaugural production of Snowflake. It is a pleasure to be able to support Scotland’s emerging talent and I wish the ensemble all the best with their run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.”
Mark Thomson said: “I am thrilled that Siobhan Redmond accepted our invitation to record the role of Mum. It is wonderful for the Ensemble to have the support of such a celebrated Scottish actor.”
Earlier this year, the Scottish Drama Training Network (SDTN) and Pleasance Theatre Trust announced a new ensemble for Acting, Performance and Technical Theatre graduates from Scotland’s further education colleges and Higher Education institutions as they make the transition from training to industry. Over 80 candidates drawn from these institutions auditioned for director Mark Thomson, of the 27 invited to attend recall auditions, eight actors were selected to join The Network Ensemble for 2017.
This new production ensemble, The Network, is supported by leading theatre professionals, who this year are Mark Thomson, Siobhan Redmond and Sound Designer Phillip Pinsky. The Network has been established to produce new work at the Pleasance annually during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Snowflake by Mark Thomson
2nd Aug 2017 - 28th Aug 2017 at 1pm (excluding 15 and 22 August)
Pleasance Above - Pleasance Courtyard
Suitable for ages 12 and above
Tickets available at: www.pleasance.co.uk
