Prime Productions is a growing force in Scottish Theatre. Our production of Sunset Song capitalised on years of experience of Scottish touring theatre by bringing together the production skills of the company and the directing and design skills of the creative team of Benjamin Twist and Neil Warmington
The company was founded in 1985 by Rose McBain, Thelma Rogers and Martin Heller to mount a production of three one-act plays by Ena Lamont Stewart, the author of Men Should Weep who has been described as the Scottish Chekhov. At that time two of the plays had been given only a rehearsed reading by the Scottish Society of Playwrights, and the third had not been performed at all. The three actors decided to put this right and under the generic title of Will You Still Need Me?, and with Scottish Arts Council support, the production opened at the Traverse, toured round Scotland to small and medium scale venues, and ended its run at the the Tron Theatre in Glasgow. The plays, and Sandy Neilson's direction were highly praised by
audiences and critics alike. Prime Productions, apart from a few gap years, has continued touring ever since.
The Way In.
The roots of Prime Productions lie buried in the post-war days of touring theatre. Martin Heller, aged twenty and straight from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, joined a small company which could have been described at the time as part of a commune. An estate and an old house on the edge of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire provided accommodation, office and rehearsal space for an acting company of seven, as well as a home for the family of the Artistic Director, John Crockett, who was a fine artist and dancer, as well as actor and director - a man of many talents.
This company, the original Compass Players, was dedicated to producing a repertoire of classics such as Marlowe's Dr. Faustus and plays by Shaw, Synge, Chekhov, Moliere, Fry, Milton's masque Comus, and exciting versions of The Pardoner's Tale from The Canterbury Tales, and Jonah and the Whale - both adapted by John Crockett.
This rich introduction to theatre, and the experience of playing in village halls, miner's Institutes and schools across England, Wales and over the Border into Scotland, fired the imagination of all the young actors involved. Everything had to be carried in a recycled laundry van nicknamed Bertha. There were seats for nine, and behind them went sets and props, costumes, lighting and sound equipment for three or four productions for each tour. The entire company acted, stage-managed, lit the show, maintained the costumes and props and put up and struck the set. A school matinee and an evening show daily was normal. Hospitality was offered in many places, and gratefully accepted since everyone in the company existed on 15/- per week plus their keep. Company members might find themselves guests in a miner's cottage one night and in a mansion the next, and friendships cemented then still exist today. No Compass Player ever forgot the training they gained -professional and social, or the impact their visits had on the many small communities that welcomed them.
Nowadays going out on a small-scale tour is not, perhaps, quite such hard work as it was in the days just after the Second World War, and it is certainly better paid. The first four members of Compass Players used to share two meals in a British Restaurant - a kind of wartime cheap cafe. Money was that tight! But the spirit is still there, and the need and the demand is still there and it is the aim of Prime Productions to continue the tradition and satisfy the demand.
Prime Productions, in the 90s maintained the link, and the friendships as two plays, Herr Bach & Mr. Handel and From Where I'm Standing were written by John Ringham who was one of the original Compass Players.
Prime Productions aims to give sell-out audiences, throughout Scotland and beyond, plays they want to see and a full theatrical experience. The Company was founded to tour professional theatre of the highest possible quality throughout Scotland and elsewhere with particular emphasis on places which do not have easy access to major theatres.
