Scottish Catholic Observer

Schoolchildren from across Glasgow are to take part in a new musical stage production challenging them to confront racial and religious intolerance.

Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre and the city council’s education department last week announced a joint youth music initiative project to stage a production of Divided City (right), adapted from the novel by award-winning Scottish author Theresa Breslin.

The production will be the first stage version of the 2005 novel and the cast will include more than 50 S2 pupils from schools across Glasgow.

Ms Breslin’s novel explores religious tension in the city of Glasgow through the stories of two young boys, one a Celtic supporter, one a Rangers supporter, who must find their own answers in a divided world.

­Two pupils from each of Glasgow’s secondary schools have been invited to form the cast for the production, a move that, the producers believe, reflects the novel’s message of tolerance and friendship.

The participating pupils are currently undertaking a rigorous rehearsal schedule in the lead up to four performances at the end of May, including two shows performed to Glasgow primary and secondary schoolchildren.

Adaptation delight

Ms Breslin, whose novel has been shortlisted for 10 different children’s book awards and is studied widely by schoolchildren, is delighted that her work is being adapted for the stage.

“Divided City is one of my most popular and talked about books and is very close to my heart,” she said.

“It’s going to be thrilling to see it on the stage and it will have an authenticity and truth because it’s performed by Glasgow kids themselves.”

Current issues

Guy Hollands, the stage performance’s director, is similarly looking forward to the production taking shape and believes the issues explored in Divided City continue to affect young people across the city.

“Religious intolerance and sectarianism are issues that continue to affect young people in Glasgow today and we believe that drama provides a unique way of exploiting those conflicts,” he said.

“By involving a large cast of S2 schoolchildren it will not only benefit the young people taking part in a fully-staged production on the main stage of the Citizens Theatre but also resonate all the more with the young people who come to watch the show. Theresa’s novel provides us with a great story and with a new musical score written for the project, this will be a high quality production with a powerful message.”

Pupils from St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School will be amongst those involved in the production and the school’s headteacher, James Hendrie commented that he was ‘delighted’ that pupils will be participating and recognised the fine tradition of actors that have graced the school over the years.

“As a Catholic secondary we welcome and embrace diversity and inclusion and are keen to promote tolerance, understanding and compassion as our own core values,” Mr Hendrie said.

“Indeed in 2006 St Margaret Mary’s won the One Scotland-Anti-Sectarianism award in the Scottish Education Awards.

“We are extremely proud of our tradition of promoting acting talent and many of our former pupils have indeed become actors.  Currently, we have one of our students on the cast of River City and we have several pupils who appeared in the recent film by Peter Mullan.”

Working in tandem

Glasgow City Council’s executive member for education, Baillie Jean McFadden, believes the production will work in tandem with the anti-sectarian initiatives taking place in schools across the city.

“For the last decade, excellent and important anti-sectarian work has been developed and delivered in Glasgow schools and across our communities,”  she said.

“This includes the use of Divided City as a resource in many of our schools and I know that many youngsters will now be delighted to see this unique show and it’s a wonderful opportunity for the pupils who get the chance to take part.

“Glasgow City Council will continue to develop work which explores the values and attitudes that underpin sectarianism in our city and challenge and change behaviour inherent in sectarianism.  It is important that we all work together towards creating a society where everyone feels respected and valued.”