The Voice Behind Our Town Monologues
Seven writers from Ferguslie Park worked with our Creative Director, Lisa Nicoll, to create fictional monologues inspired by the town and their experiences of living there.
The monologues were performed by professional actors, filmed, and are available to view as part of our Virtual Programme.
Watch Online
You can watch the monologues from this page. You might also want to subscribe to our YouTube channel keep up to date as we release more videos.
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Some of the Stories Featured
The monologues in this series include those of:
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A young Asian man who moved to the town in the 80’s, and the struggles he encounters.
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A community activist in the late 1970’s, who knew a change had to happen after “the worst winter”.
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A woman who has become an artist but still doesn’t believe she is good enough, or deserves success, because she is not from the right part of town.
Background to the Monologues
We are committed to encouraging writers from all backgrounds, helping to develop their writing, and giving them the opportunity to have their voices heard. This is a huge driving force for the work of In Motion Theatre.
Lisa has spent two years getting to know people in Ferguslie Park, finding a sense of caring, community and solidarity that is rarely represented in the media.
Part of a Wider Project
This is part of a wider project which also features a new play, ‘Other Side of The River’- written by Lisa working with local residents, The Voice Behind Our Town Podcast - where people of Ferguslie Park talk about their community, and other opportunities for community participation such as our song writing and dance workshops.
The Writers
These pieces are written by John McIntyre, Terry McTernan, Helen Crangle, Michaela Sweeney, Sanjay Lago, Karen Herbison and Patrick Kidd.
The Actors
These will be performed by Keith Fleming (Outlander, Citizens Theatre), Karen Bartke (Scot Squad), Leah Byrne (Dundee Rep Ensemble), Josh Whitelaw (BEATS), Mary Gapinski, recent Royal Conservatoire graduate Sanjay Lago and introducing new actor Gregor MacRae who is currently a third year acting student at North College Lanarkshire. Giving opportunities to new and early stage creatives, as well as established artists, is one of our core beliefs.
The Writing Process
Working with Future Paisley, we delivered a series of short online writing sessions and live zoom workshops designed to create a five minute monologue around the theme of “The Voice of Our Town”.
We worked with writers who live, have lived, or have a connection with Paisley, and in particular the area of Ferguslie Park, through a workshop programme hosted by playwright/producer and creative director of In Motion Theatre Lisa Nicoll. Lisa guided the writers through a process to turn their stories into theatrical monologues which were then performed by professional actors. These performances were videoed and will be shown as part of our Virtual Programme in December 2020.
The writing workshops consisted of:
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An initial live online workshop session and welcome.
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Three initial short recorded practical writing sessions.
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A live online session with group participants.
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Three more short recorded practical writing sessions.
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A second live online session with group participants.
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One to one session with participant and Lisa.
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One to one session with participant, Lisa and Actor.
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The monologues were then directed and recorded by the actors, before being launched on digital platforms.
Related Projects
The Other Side of the River
A new play by Lisa Nicoll, about living in a place that feels like it’s been written off, inspired by conversations and research held over a year with residents of Ferguslie Park in Paisley. It explores the effects of ingrained poverty and the fight to rise above it.
The Voice Behind Our Town Podcast
The Voice Behind Our Town is a a series of podcasts in which residents of Ferguslie Park in Paisley, talk about their community and the truth behind the headlines often associated with the area. These podcasts are free to listen to.
I have observed more connection in this community than where I have lived in larger cities and towns, where often people can become isolated and do not know their neighbours.
Lisa Nicoll
Creative Director, In Motion
