Welcome to The Occasion
The Occasion exists to create live theatre that will entertain, challenge, surprise and – above all else – excite audiences.
Latest News
Another Nice Mess
Performances at Tramway, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow on:
Thursday June 29th, Friday June 30th & Saturday July 1st 7.30pm
Tickets: £10.00 (£7.00 concession)
June 1947… the widely-anticipated return of Stan Laurel – one time resident of Glasgow’s Southside – with his partner, Oliver Hardy, for a run at The Glasgow Empire.
Also, June 1947… The Laurel & Hardy Club (Battlefield branch) are threatened with eviction from their beloved, bomb-damaged cinema. The Lords Bannatyne have plans to turn it into a ‘motor vehicle tenement parking’ facility.
Will the L&H Club members succeed in thwarting the Bannatyne’s dastardly plans? Will they finally get to meet their heroes? Will Detective Inspector Michael ‘Mick’ McMichael, Bootleg Billy, Pickpocket Pam and a host of other desperadoes save the day?
With all the eccentricity and rebelliousness of a 1940s Ealing comedy, with just a dash of melodrama, this isn’t just any old show. This is a Southside Group show.
All performance captioned and BSL interpreted.
Written by Stewart Ennis
Directed by Peter Clerke & Catherine Gillard
Set & Costume Design by Ali Maclaurin
Original Music by Richard Williams
Video by Tim Reid
The Occasion gratefully acknowledges funding for The Southside Group from:
Creative Scotland, The People’s Postcode Trust, The RTR Foundation, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, The Boshier-Hinton Foundation, Glasgow Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund, The Commonweal Fund.
Photography: Stewart Ennis
Recent projects
The Southside Group in The Snow Queen
On Thursday 1 December & Friday 2 December 2022, in Queen’s Park Govanhill Parish Church, The Southside Group brought Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic tale vibrantly to life.
Photographs by Stewart Ennis
A story of the struggle between good and evil, of magic and love, of change. Featuring ice-skating and robbers, a woman who understands a little of magic, a street-wise Raven, a talking reindeer… and some strange advice!
The Snow Queen was TSG’s first live, public performance.
This is a group, as in any ensemble, of diverse talents and abilities, and were The QR interested in handing out stars for effort, this would warrant a solid 5. However, this is a cast aiming at making objectively good theatre, bringing their hearts and minds to offer a unique perspective on the story. With more experience as a live cast, they can surely aim higher still. Directors Clerke and Catherine Gillard are to be congratulated for enabling such a terrific showing from The Southside Group.
The choice of material brought opportunities for nice set pieces, and I particularly loved the skating, the shadow work, the introduction and development of the Snow Queen and the big bang! … One Friday night, in panto time, I saw a terrific piece of theatre. Full. Stop.
The Southside Group was formed by The Occasion to increase opportunities for learning disabled adults to become actively involved in theatre. Since the group began in January 2020, shortly before the first Covid lockdown, TSG has produced several on-line works:
- The Peabody Chronicles – a tale of villainy, skulduggery, kidnap, heroism, war, love, heartbreak, revenge, injustice and come-uppance!
- The Night Before Christmas – featuring night caps, reindeer and beards, one Glasgow street waits excitedly for Christmas Day.
- Scenes from The Snow Queen – a story of the struggle between good and evil, of magic and love, and of change.
If you’d like more information about this, or if you know someone who’d like to join The Southside Group, please drop us an email at info@theoccasiontheatre.com
