On Tuesday, March 28, theatre company Solar Bear are taking The Third Sister, a brand new show by acclaimed playwright Xana Marwick, to Aberdeen’s Music Hall Big Sky Studio. This up close, electric and free-to-access storytelling performance for both hearing and deaf audiences alike aims ultimately to bring communities together.
The Third Sister is a story about Eilidh, Rowan and Jennifer. Teenage sisters and members of a touring family band, The Fabulous Funstons, in the early 1980s. Brought up and trained for the stage by their overprotective grandfather, the sisters secretly form their own punk band, Pink Mess. Tensions boil over, however, and both bands fall apart when Rowan tragically dies.
Over 30 years later, Eilidh, now a grown woman, finds that the shades of her past have come back to haunt her. The Third Sister is a tale with a twist – creepy, mysterious and funny. Performed both in English and British Sign Language throughout, with a cast of deaf actor Claire Wetherall and hearing actor Jeni Draper, this isn’t a conventional, BSL-interpreted performance, but a bold experiment in telling a story in two languages simultaneously.
The Third Sister started life as an intergenerational project between Solar Bear, St. Roch’s Secondary School and Roystonhill Community Hub. Writer Xana Marwick and Solar Bear Creative Director Jonathan Lloyd worked with a group of younger and older community members to connect and create their own stories. That work inspired the story of The Third Sister, and our plans to focus on communal enrichment, BSL deaf accessibility, and ensuring freely available performances of high quality storytelling.
This is a free but ticketed event, with tickets available from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com, calling 01224 641122 or visiting the box office at His Majesty’s Theatre or the Music Hall.