Fibres

A story of love, laughter and the untold legacy of Glasgow’s shipyards

“We were two weans playing at wee hooses, him in his first job and me being the good wife doing his washing. Now we’re both paying the price.”

 

Jack is proud of his work at the Clyde shipyards. His wife, Beanie, who is nursing him through asbestosis, thinks he’s a fool. But the real test of their marriage comes when they discover that the dusty overalls Jack brought home to be washed by Beanie, poisoned her too. This isn’t what she thought Jack meant when he promised “what’s mine is yours”.

Meanwhile their daughter, Lucy, attempts to overcome her grief. Will she be held back by her parents’ experience, or will she have the courage to allow romance to blossom with Pete?

Written by award-winning playwright Frances Poet, Fibres is a big-hearted and laugh out loud play about what it means to entwine our lives with another, in sickness and in health. A story told by four characters who show a very Glaswegian resilience and wit, the play asks can we ever cut the cords that bind us and who will catch us if we do?

Cast includes much loved actor Jonathan Watson (Only An Excuse, Two Doors Down, Rab C Nesbitt) and Maureen Carr (‘ugly sister’ Edith in Still Game and baddie Theresa O’Hara in River City).

The original production was part of the Citizens Women season.

Suitable for ages 14+

With support from Clydeside Action on Asbestos.

Action on Asbestos (Formally known as Clydeside Action on Asbestos) is a charity that was established in 1984 by men who had been diagnosed with an asbestos disease. The purpose of setting up this charity was to help others with this condition by providing practical advice and support.

The charity specialises in providing free benefit and legal advice and provides representation at social security appeals. They host monthly support group meetings throughout Scotland for people to meet in order to reduce their isolation.

CAA is proud to sponsor a specialist nurse for those in Edinburgh and Glasgow. If you have been diagnosed with either Pleural Plaques, Pleural thickening, Asbestosis, Mesothelioma or Asbestos related Lung Cancer or any other Injury or accident at work, then please contact CAA on 0800 089 1717 for free confidential advice and support.

Gallery

Images © Jassy Earl

Reviews

"It's the outright identification with working women that makes Francis Poet’s outstanding play Fibres so effective.
Morning Star (more)
"led by a pair of moving and seriously funny performances
The Herald (more)
"taking a story that desperately needs to be told to many communities deeply affected by the disease
The Scotsman (more)
"cleverly constructed and staged with precision
The Stage (more)
"a tragic story beautifully told with likeable characters and wonderful performances from all involved
Broadway World (more)
"Fibres is magnetic, moving, and utterly memorable
The Wee Review (more)
"Winning performances deliver a heartbreaking and unsentimental tale about asbestos poisoning in the workplace
The Observer (more)
"excellently acted production
The Guardian (more)
"Fibres is an affecting piece about an important, too often neglected, subject
The Herald on Sunday (more)

Blog

A Stellar Quines and Citizens Theatre Production.

Creative Team

  • Writer: ["Frances Poet", "Frances Poet"]
    Frances Poet

    Frances is an award-winning Glasgow-based writer with over 15 years’ experience working as a dramaturg and literary manager in theatres across the U.K. Frances has written for stage, TV and radio and has had short films screened at a number of festivals nationally and internationally. Theatre credits include: Adam (NTS), Dance of Death (after Strindberg, The Circle Studio, Citizens Theatre), The Misanthrope (after Moliere, Oran Mor), Andromaque (after Racine, Oran Mor and The Byre Theatre, St Andrews) and Faith Fall (Oran Mor and The Tobacco Factory, Bristol).

  • Director: ["Jemima Levick", "Jemima Levick"]
    Jemima Levick

    Jemima is Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Stellar Quines.

    Jemima was Artistic Director and Associate Director at Dundee Rep Theatre for seven years until she joined Stellar Quines in May 2016. She trained at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and on a Scottish Arts Council Director Traineeship.

    She is an extremely successful director and has won and been nominated for a number of awards.  While at Dundee Rep she directed more than 18 productions and as a freelance director and producer she worked with a number of companies, including the Royal Lyceum Theatre, The National Theatre of Scotland, Perissology Theatre Productions, Borderline, Grid Iron Theatre Company, Traverse Theatre and Paines Plough.

    Since becoming Artistic Director of Stellar Quines she has directed for the company, the critically acclaimed The 306: Day, The Last Queen of Scotland, The Lover, Bingo! and This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing. 

  • Set and costume design: ["Jen McGinley", "Jen McGinley"]

    Interference, National Theatre of Scotland

  • Lighting Design: ["Emma Jones", "Emma Jones"]
    Emma Jones

    Emma Jones graduated from Aberystwyth University and has been Head of Production with Scottish Dance Theatre since January 2006, touring extensively both nationally and internationally.

    Her credits as lighting designer include Drift, NQR, What on Earth!?, Kingdom, Dreamers, YAMA, Miann, Velvet Petal, In this Storm and TuTuMucky for Scottish Dance Theatre; The Little Mermaid, Talking Heads and Midsummer for Dundee Rep Theatre; A Christmas Carol, Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland for Derby Theatre; Plan B for Utopia and Achilles I for Joan Cleville Dance. Other credits include award-winning production Falling in Love with Frida for Caroline Bowditch Company, Hiccup Theatre, Smallpetitklien, Matthew Robinson Dance and Macrobert.

    Previously for Stellar Quines Emma lit The Lover and The View from Castle Rock, the sell –out 2016 Edinburgh Fringe production.

    Emma has taught technical theatre and held various lighting design workshops worldwide.

  • Sound Design: ["Patricia Panther", "Patricia Panther"]
    Patricia Panther

    Patricia Panther is an Actress, Singer / Songwriter, Sound Designer and Composer based in Glasgow.

    Film credit: First and Only (Encaptivate Films)

    Theatre credits include: The Last Queen of Scotland (Stellar Quines, 2017), A Pageant of Great Women (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 2015). Created the original Sound Design and composition for National Theatre of Scotland’s show Rites (Tron Theatre / Contact Theatre Manchester 2015). Actress and Composer in The National Theatre of Scotland’s Glasgow Girls (Citizens Theatre / Theatre Royal Stratford East, 2014). Composer for Stellar Quines’ Dare To Care (Scottish tour, 2014).

    TV credit: Scots Squad (BBC / Comedy Unit, 2016). Rehearsed Reading, Little Tipperary (Sky TV / STV, 2015).

    Other achievements include: Providing lead vocals for Basement Jaxx’s latest album, Junto, on the single ‘Summer Dem”.

Cast

  • ["Maureen Carr"]
    Maureen Carr

    Maureen Carr is known to young audiences for her role in CBBC’s Molly and Mack and to the nation as ‘ugly sister’ Edith in Still Game and baddie Theresa O’Hara in River City. Carr is also co-founder of female comedy troupe, Witsherface.

  • ["Ali Craig"]
    Ali Craig

    Into That Darkness, Citizens Theatre; Hecuba and Victoria, Dundee Rep; Beautiful Burnout, The Making of Us and Macbeth, National Theatre of Scotland; Hamlet, Rapture Theatre Company.

  • ["Suzanne Magowan "]
    Suzanne Magowan

    A Perfect Child, Ten Feet Tall; Hidden Doors, Village Pub Theatre; International Day of the Girl, Stellar Quines and Village Pub Theatre.

  • ["Jonathan Watson"]
    Jonathan Watson

    Jonathan Watson has most recently starred in the BBC Scotland hit Two Doors Down.  Born in Glasgow, Watson’s first job after training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama was as a member of TAG Theatre Company, the outreach arm of the Citizens Theatre which was formed in 1967.  Watson has since taken on iconic roles in Naked Video, City Lights, Rab C Nesbitt (BBC) and Only An Excuse (Comedy Unit)

Production Tour Dates

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