Decky Does a Bronco

Written by Douglas Maxwell and Directed by Ben Harrison

14th June – 18th September 2010

An outdoor, site-specific production which toured all over England and Scotland

AWARDS

Nominated for The Stage Award for Best Actor – Martin McCormick

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the first production of Decky Does a Bronco, we toured this new production for 3 months all over Scotland and England, including a return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

To bronco a swing you stand on it, worky up to the bumps, level with the bar, kick the swing over your head and jump beneath it.

It’s summer and school’s out. Five lads act out their dreams and fears in their local playground in Scotland. Their game, known as ‘broncoing’, is fast and dangerous.

Broncoing is a sign of manhood – which Decky and his friends all impatiently await.

Little do they know how suddenly and abruptly it will be forced upon them this summer…

This Scotsman Fringe First and Stage Award winning show is an outdoor theatrical event unlike any other.

Eight actors – all trained acrobats – play out this powerful and vivid tale of childhood innocence and the perilous passage into adulthood

Production photography by Douglas Jones

View Decky Does a Bronco 2000 Production

Video

Watch the Decky Does a Bronco 2010 trailer here.

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What The Press Said

“Amusing, thrilling and deeply moving, this powerful play leads the audience into some dark places and provides food for thought. Those looking for a unique theatrical experience would do well to dig out their rain-jackets and head for Eden Court…”

Inverness Press and Journal

“Director Ben Harrison and his excellent actors generate a lot of energy, making it compelling viewing, and the atmospheric music of Philip Pinsky heightens the mood… ultimately the whole production is strong enough to blow away an audience.”

Dundee Courier

“…Decky was a breakthrough for them [Grid Iron] and for Maxwell, making an eloquent case for the kind of site-specific theatre work that has now become almost modish but at which Grid Iron still excel.”

The Times★★★★

“One of the finest plays to emerge from a Scottish working-class story in the last ten years… it was the genius of Edinburgh-based site-specific company Grid Iron – ten years ago, and again in this powerful revival – to take the chance of performing the play outdoors, in the context where it was born… the sheer force and depth of Maxwell’s study of an end of childhood and an abrupt loss of innocence brings tears to the eyes. Ben Harrison’s production is more thrillingly physical than ever… There are some outstanding performances… After a decade in which the debate around child safety and loss of freedom has only become more acute, Decky Does a Bronco seems a more timely play than ever, and the writing is beautiful…”

The Scotsman★★★★

“its emotional directness, puppyish playfulness and sense of how we are all haunted by our childhoods long after we reach maturity is beautifully handled… this show is a funny, wise and sad evocation of childhood.”

The Guardian

“Grid Iron Theatre Company’s revival of… Decky Does a Bronco… is a proverbial good deed in a naughty world… Ten years on, Decky Does a Bronco has lost none of its ability to excite the senses and stop the heart.”

Sunday Herald

“The script builds to a powerful emotional climax, and Maxwell’s poignant lines will linger with you as you make your way home out of the darkness of the park. Exceptionally good drama – turn off X Factor or Eastenders for one night this week and go and see it.”

Oxford Times★★★★

Cast

Decky: Ben Winger

David: Martin McCormick

Chrissy: Gavin Wright

Adult Chrissy: John Kielty

Barry: Ross Allan

Adult Barry: Finn den Hertog

O’Neill: David Elliot

Adult O’Neill: Nicky Elliott

Production Team

Producer:
Judith Doherty

Director:
Ben Harrison

Writer:
Douglas Maxwell

Assistant Director:
Catrin Evans

Composer/Sound Designer:
Philip Pinsky

Stunt Co-ordinators:
Lucy Deacon & Moritz Linkmann

Stage Manager:
Nichola Reilly

Technical Manager:
Ross McMillan

Production and Tour Manager:
Zoe Squair

Set Design & Build:
Simon Owen based on the original design by Allan Ross

Costume Designer:
Alice Bee

Lighting Designer:
George Tarbuck

Graphic Designer:
Emma Quinn

Finance & Development Manager:
Deborah Crewe

General Manager:
Fiona Watson

Management Company:
Great Leap Forward

View Our Programme

To read more information about the show, including the Director’s Note and team biographies, have a look through our production programme.

Download our programme pdf here

Past Productions

The productions are listed in chronological order with the most recent first.

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Decky Does a Bronco

AWARDS

Video

What The Press Said

Cast

Production Team

View Our Programme

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