The Authorised
Kate Bane

Written by Ella Hickson, Directed by Ben Harrison

12th October – 23rd November 2012

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh: 12th – 26th Oct 2012
Tron Theatre, Glasgow: 30th Oct – 3rd Nov 2012

“a huge writing talent.”
The Scotsman

“Ella Hickson has already found her voice and it’s a potent one.”
New York Times

Kate Bane returns home to her eccentric family for a winter weekend to introduce her new boyfriend.

As the snow falls, mobile phone signal fails and the trains stop running, Kate finds herself searching with increasing desperation for an authentic account of her family’s past.

Are her memories fact, or rather are they continually shifting acts of imagination?

Unable to pin down the truth, what does this mean for her future… which version of the family mythology will ensure her own happiness?

Ella Hickson’s new painfully comic excavation of a family history asks if there is an authorised version of the past – or just the one we can live with.

With original music from MJ McCarthy (Zoey Van Goey).

“Hickson has a delicious way with words.”
The Stage

Production photography by Eoin Carey.

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What The Press Said

“Playing with a series of meta-theatrical games, Hickson teases us with the idea that memory is provisional. The stories we tell about ourselves are just that – stories. We not only write our history, but rewrite it as well… the clever concept holds it together, as does Hulse’s impassioned central performance.”

The Guardian★★★

“Returning to Traverse Two, the conventional theatre space where they first stepped off, site-specific specialists Grid Iron use it cleverly to examine the nature of truth in theatre. Ella Hickson’s sharply bright script cuts between writer and performance. Becky Minto’s set with a rear wall of archive boxes and a lipped circular playing area is both an archivist’s fantasy of a study and redolent of a snow-globe where a child’s fantasy might play out… the joy of the piece, however, is in how the two worlds bleed into one another. Hulse is in stunning form… this is a fascinating production with an Escher-like playfulness in its examination of the nature of creation.”

The Stage

“Hickson’s exercise in metafiction is a convincing, entertaining and philosophically suggestive piece of writing… The cast is excellent, able to communicate the difference between the psychological spaces they are inhabiting through their mastery of movement. The set retains a strong singular identity throughout, but the lighting and sound combine with the actors performances to foreground the different ‘lights’ and moods by which Kate envisions realities past and present. This is a fascinating production to watch and, moreover, to remember, because many of the ironies of the play come to our awareness later.”

Exeunt★★★★

“superbly articulates the complexities of social conditioning and biology as they intertwine… Hickson’s writing shows real sophistication… It’s an excruciatingly frank portrayal of growing up, realising (and coming to terms with) who you are, packed into a compelling 100 minutes. Hickson grasps the correlation between perception, memory and truth and uses it to powerful effect as the play twists towards closing”

TV Bomb★★★★

“Congratulations to Grid Iron for bringing this writer back to Edinburgh and providing an excellent cast and production team for a play which is never less than thought provoking.”

Edinburgh Guide

“realised with tremendous technical skill, over 100 minutes of continuous action, in Ben Harrison’s immaculately directed production, which flicks effortlessly between different levels of reality, using both Becky Minto’s storage-box set and Alberto Santos Bellido’s ever-changing lighting; there’s also a searingly honest and beautiful central performance from Jenny Hulse.”

The Scotsman★★★★

“Like a Boltanski art installation, where personal artefacts are stored in file boxes, Ben Harrison’s production faithfully pursues Hickson’s exploration of how we torment and trick ourselves, sometimes blaming others or beating ourselves up.”

The Herald★★★★

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Cast

Albin Gotold: Nicky Elliott

Kate Bane: Jenny Hulse

Nessa Bane: Anne Kidd

Ike Bane: Sean Scanlan

Video actors:
Hannah Nicol, Dina Regerro, Garry Collins & Hannah Donaldson

Production Team

Writer:
Ella Hickson

Director:
Ben Harrison

Producer:
Judith Doherty

Assistant Director:
Finn den Hertog

Composer:
MJ McCarthy

Set & Costume Designer:
Becky Minto

Lighting Designer:
Alberto Santos Bellido

Production Manager:
Zoe Squair

Technical Manager:
Robin Sanders

Stage Management:
Samantha Burt

Video Designer:
Lewis den Hertog

Set Build:
Big House Events

Graphic Designer:
Emma Quinn

Finance Manager:
Deborah Crewe

Supporters:
Can we add the Playwright’s Studio logo? Should be in old site but let me know if you need it.

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

Supporters

The production was kindly supported by the following…

Past Productions

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

If you want to know more about our work or just want to get in touch to say hi!
You can reach us by clicking here.

The AuthorisedKate Bane

What The Press Said

Cast

Production Team

View Our Programme

Supporters

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The Authorised Kate Bane

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Variety

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Decky Does a Bronco (2000-2002)

Monumental

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The Authorised
Kate Bane