The Mumble – Hello Fiona, so your play, the Flames is just to be turned up to boiling point, can you tell us more about it

Fiona – It is indeed! The Flames is a new performance group for participants aged 50 and over and it is launching at the CCA in Glasgow on Wednesday 26 October as part of Luminate. We have been putting together a live performance based on the eight participants involved and playing with ideas of risk, daily routine and changing identity. It has been great fun devising a new play with them because they are totally up for throwing themselves into the process. It feels a bit dangerous at times! Live music is being created for the show and we have been recording images and bits of film that are integrated into the performance.

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The Mumble –The Flames came together after a series of workshops (I believe) – can you talk us through a typical session.

Fiona – We start with a warm up. I find when working with adults, you have to reintroduce the idea of playing, which is usually trimmed out of us in high school. It’s also to encourage adults to stop thinking and just react to what’s happening when they start the devising process.  The rest of the session is based around the participants responding to questions I ask; getting them to do tasks without words and then finding a way to join up all the different ideas that emerge using  ensemble performance so that they are all supporting the dramas that are made. It is always a surprise. We never know what we will end up with at the end of the session! They put a lot of trust in me and in the process that it will work.

The Mumble – How are you finding the performance levels of the over 50s set.

Fiona – The same as mine! I love the balance between working really intensely then having a break and a chat. Energy levels go up during the sessions when they do something amazing and inspiring.

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The Mumble – You founded Tricky Hat Productions in 2005. How has the company evolved in the past ten years

Fiona – A lot. We now have multiple projects on the go. We have a great team of people that we have been collaborating with for a few years which means we build the way we work artistically together. We are always looking for new collaborations with artists, organisations and with people who want to make new theatre. We are currently expanding our work internationally which is really exciting

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The Mumble – What are your plans for both play & company after this stint in Glasgow.

Fiona – We want The Flames to spread across Scotland. The Flames is for anyone over 50 who wants to create a live theatre performance in five days so it is adaptable and transportable. As a company we can work anywhere. We can take inspiration and ideas from one Flames performance and inject it into another. We are looking forward to watching The Flames ignite and expand.

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The Flames

CCA, Glasgow

Wednesday 26 October 2016, 2.30pm & 7pm

For more info or to get involved in future projects email: info@trickyhat.com