With it’s origins in touring small venues within the Central Belt of Scotland, Geezabreak Production’s WHEN WE WERE YOUNG returns to the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow on the Sixteenth-Seventeenth August.
“The full team are so excited to be bringing WHEN WE WERE YOUNG back to the Pavilion,” says Liam Lambie, creator of the present. “The manufacturing was so effectively acquired that as a result of demand we are actually on our fourth tour and there’s no signal of it slowing down…
Next yr it embarks on it longest and furthest-traveled tour as we go to venues throughout Scotland.” But it’s the Pavilion Theatre that has precipitated the most important stir by means of the workforce. “I have visited the Pavilion for years as an audience member so it was a massive achievement getting to stand up on that stage last year,” Lambie continues. “As not solely an actor however as a author, director and producer – I can’t wait to get again up there in August!
“I am beyond excited to be back,” provides actor Candace Nicolson, who performs Sammy. “The Pavilion is such an iconic and important part of Glasgow, I remember going every Christmas to the Pavilion to watch their Pantomime.”
The present itself is described as a nostalgic and heartbreaking story of 90s gang tradition, when the extremely feared and stigmatised “Young Teams” dominated the streets of the Southside. Creator Liam provides: “This show looks beyond the tabloid stereotype of NEDs to tell a hilarious, heartbreaking and relatable story of friendship, poverty and stolen youth… The production has many layers; on one hand you have a laugh-out-loud comedy that will have the audience in stitches but there are also moments that will have them in tears.”
The present follows gang member Mooney, performed by Lambie, and his family and friends together with his long-suffering mom Mags, performed by Claire Rooney: “Mags is more than just a Mammy to her two Boys – she is a guardian angel to the full scheme,” says Rooney. “I can relate to the character in so many ways – her upbringing in the schemes of Govan, rife with poverty and lack of opportunity – but what I relate to most is her love for her boys! “Any parent will relate to the role and her unconditional love for her children, be it for right or wrong.”
Then there’s Michaela, Mooney’s girlfriend, performed by Dionne Frati: “I feel [Michaela] does have a choice and she can leave the gang but she chooses Mooney every time even when it’s the wrong choice,” says Frati, “I would say I’m not like Michaela in real life but growing up in a scheme I can definitely relate to a lot of the characters and their stories.”
Joining the above solid are Candace Nicolson, Kyle Martin and Ross McAree who play Sammy, Joe and Tam respectively. “Joe is the comic relief within the group,” explains Martin. “He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, and often masks that with a bravado which the audience gets to see beneath at a point.”
“I play the role of Tam Mooney, the leads younger brother. Tam is in the young team due to circumstance, he doesn’t necessarily want to be there and is also a softer, more caring character in the story,” provides McAree. But it’s greater than only a humorous present concerning the characters in your native road nook. It’s a narrative, in the end, of survival. “It’s about the trials and tribulations of growing up in an environment where young people feel they have no choice but to join a gang in order to survive,” says Nicolson, “It tells the story of the roads they choose to take and the cards they have been dealt in life and how they navigate their way through this.”
And what do the solid hope the viewers takes away with them after the present? “The fact that life is short and we should all look after each other no matter what,” says Nicolson. “I hope they come away feeling a deep nostalgic feeling and have tears dripping from their faces, mainly of laughter.” McAree provides: “I’m hoping people will leave the theatre more educated about how serious this subject was then, and even still is today. So many young folk are still out fighting and throwing their lives away for absolutely nothing. It needs to stop, we need to raise awareness and I truly believe this show lets audiences see just how serious things really are.” Lambie agrees: “The production delves into a lot of topics that are just as relevant now as they were in the 90s when the show was set so I’m sure everyone will be able to relate to it in one way or another. “But above all else we hope they have an amazing and enjoyable night watching a piece of theatre that we hope will stay with them long after they have left.”
16 -17 August 2024 Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow
