Vaila Anderson reports on her Creative Internship at Dundee Rep.
Vaila Anderson was the recipient of our first Creative Internship with Dundee Rep and, during her time with the company, she worked as an assistant director on the company’s production of Sunset Song, an adaptation of the classic Lewis Grassic Gibbon novel.
Vaila hails from Fife and her journey into directing began when she was in secondary school and was asked to direct Macbeth as an entry to Shakespeare’s Schools Festival. She went on to study directing at the Drama Centre London. Training alongside the acting students strongly influenced her passion for ensemble driven work.
Upon hearing she had been awarded the internships, Vaila said: ‘When it was announced that the Rep was staging a new adaptation of Sunset Song by Morna Young, the first female writer to adapt the novel, I jumped at the opportunity to be involved. Meeting with director, Finn den Hertog, we shared similar ideas and opinions of how we believed the novel to be staged. Finn coming from an acting background; the work he makes is very collaborative and ensemble driven. His commitment to creating a raw and unapologetic version of the text, using dynamic movement and traditional and modern music is exactly the type of work I am striving to make. I am incredibly passionate about the project. The opportunity to train under Finn all the while learning the mechanics of the Rep would enrich me artistically as well as providing me with an enormous professional development opportunity.’
At the conclusion of the project, Vaila had this to say about the experience: ‘Thanks to your support, working on Sunset Song has been an incredible experience. Being a-newly-adapted text, with original movement and music, the project has been a complex undertaking, but the most fantastic learning experience.
As I am drawn to working on adaptations; great detail can be found in the novel, which provides brilliant subtext for the actors to play. This part of the process enriched my understanding of how a director and writer work together. Director Finn den Hertog and writer Morna Young were very good at trialling ideas. This particularly taught me the importance of collaboration in a director’s/writer’s relationship, maintaining an openness to meet in the middle.
After a three week run at the Dundee Rep, we toured the production to His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen, Eden Court Theatre, Inverness and then our final stop at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Often in the past, I have been rejected from Assistant Director jobs simply because I didn’t have touring experience. Therefore, having toured with Sunset Song has opened up the pool of jobs I can apply for.
Sunset Song has been a challenging but wonderful experience, one that I will not forget. Already, on the back of this role, I have been recommended to other Directors and have had the chance to meet with them to discuss potential future jobs. Further, working with Finn, Morna and the full creative team and company, I have expanded my understanding of what is required when working on Adaptation- this will enrich the work I am currently doing on my own projects. Thank you so much.’
We wish Vaila all the very best for the future.
We are also continuing our support of Scottish Dance Theatre’s Dance Artist John Ross, a Dundee-born dancer and movement director. He was appointed with the remit to create opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to engage in movement, dance, and choreography. One of John’s first projects was based in Dundee’s Claypotts Castle Primary School, whose catchment area covers some of the most deprived areas of the city and indeed Scotland, and we’re delighted to hear that his residency at Claypotts will continue this year. John and his team have started work on a new project called The Institute of Lost Things.
John’s 2023 project at the school was called The Lost Boys and he had this to say about the experience:
‘I was invited into Claypotts Castle primary school to work with 25 boys aged 8 and 9. The invite sparked a magnetic interest in me as this was my childhood primary school (formerly known as Powrie Primary) and some of the young participants are growing up in the area that I too grew up in.
Scottish Dance Theatre were at that time creating a new Children’s show called Pirates and when thinking of a project to develop at Claypotts and how to combine it something we were doing at Dundee Rep, I immediately thought about the Lost Boys, from Peter Pan.
This title has a particular resonance and a deeper meaning, as the Lost Boys in pirate stories are boys who have either lost their way or are not welcomed at home yet have their imaginations to inspire them. This is what I wanted to give these young people; the ability to dream and be imaginative, to show that anything is possible.
Over the course of the project, I built a wonderful rapport with these amazing young boys. Listening to their ideas and seeing their eyes light up with excitement was truly a gift. Each week they rushed to me bursting with ideas that excited them and I’m happy they had that opportunity to feel like they could imagine or do absolutely anything they dream of.’
The Lost Boys resulted in a short film, where the boys’ imaginations of being pirates at school came to life. This was filmed on HMS Unicorn ship in Dundee- one of the six oldest ships in the world – by a professional film maker and was shown in the school later in the year.’
We look forward to watching John’s new project develop and to continuing to support his valuable and inspiring work.
