WHEN LookOut Theatre Company's double bill of new plays entitled Virtues was staged at the 1994 Edinburgh Festival, it was judged by The Scotsman newspaper to be " ... a formidable and recommended piece of newtheatre". On the basis of this and other warmly appreciative responses, Glasgow Mayfest director Paul Bassett commissioned the company to produce a new play for the 1995 Mayfest. The result was Easy, which was premiered at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow in May of that year and which, almost two years later, is giving Belfast born writer director Nicola McCartney the opportunity for a long overdue homecoming.
Since it was formed by a group of Glasgow University undergraduates in 1992, this enterprising young company has consistently attracted encouraging reviews and positive public reaction, with Nicola herself being singled out in the Scottish press as one of "the arts people to look out for in the coming year". In spite of LookOut's burgeoning track record as one of Scotland's leading touring companies, the forthcoming week's run at the Old Museum Arts Centre will be its debut appearance in Nicola's home city. "We have wanted to perform in Belfast for some time," she declares, "but somehow, for logistical reasons, it just hasn't happened. Last year, we performed Entertaining Angels, the follow up to Easy, in Galway and at the Dublin Theatre Festival and we planned to come North then. It is great that we have finally made it, with the play that really established the company's reputation." Easy, which is currently being turned into a feature film by John McGrath's company Freeway Films, focuses on the vexed subject of acquaintance rape and raises thorny, fundamental questions about the nature of friendship and the betrayal of trusting human relationships. "It is based on personal experiences and is a combination of real life stories," says Nicola. "It is more a character based play than a single issue drama and sets out to show what can happen when a friendship is stretched beyond acceptable limits. The act of rape is the central event, but the narrative ranges into the broader realms of sexual relationships, communication between men and women and the terrible events that can occur when lines of communication break down and people fail to read the signs,."
At its centre is a cabaret singer called Rachel, a character whose presence allows the four strong company to cut loose on a structured piece, containing song, comment and action. "In that respect, it's a bit like Torch Song Trilogy," Nicola says, by way of explanation. "It seems to appeal to audiences of a wide age range and background, with lots of elements that just about anyone aged between 20 and 40 will recognise and identify with. I wouldn't say that it is a terribly controversial, ground breaking piece of theatre but it has certainly touched a nerve wherever it has played. It's about ordinary people, who, find themselves in a messy situation at a party. You know the kind of thing - one minute you're enjoying yourself, the next, things seem to be going strangely wrong. Most of us are lucky and learn our lessons - by default. Others, like Rachel, learn the hard way.