by Julie Mercik
After the intense TTT session #2 with Steven Berkof, academic and Scottish theater authority, Ian Brown, seemed to be the perfect speaker for TTT session #3. Ian is a playwright, poet and Professor in Drama and Dance at Kingston University, London. Formerly Arts Council of Great Britain Drama Director (1986-94), he was, until 2002, Professor of Drama and Dean of Arts at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He is President of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies and Chair (until June 2013) of the Scottish Society of Playwrights of which he was founder Chairman (1973-75). Ian’s tall, yet gentle, frame took a relaxed stance behind the podium that was set center stage. He surprised me by not bringing any written notes, but supplied a steady stream of history on the Traverse Theater from its creation up until the 1970’s. Ian provided an objective view on the Traverse and was not afraid to point out that the work it produced wasn’t always “on the cutting edge”, but rather, it was the seemingly impossible space it resided in that made it a completely unique theater. There was time for a few questions at the end, to which Ian took great consideration and care in answering. Although he did not shy away from offering his opinions, Ian made it clear that there is no, one, definitive answer when it comes to theater.
After the intense TTT session #2 with Steven Berkof, academic and Scottish theater authority, Ian Brown, seemed to be the perfect speaker for TTT session #3. Ian is a playwright, poet and Professor in Drama and Dance at Kingston University, London. Formerly Arts Council of Great Britain Drama Director (1986-94), he was, until 2002, Professor of Drama and Dean of Arts at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He is President of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies and Chair (until June 2013) of the Scottish Society of Playwrights of which he was founder Chairman (1973-75). Ian’s tall, yet gentle, frame took a relaxed stance behind the podium that was set center stage. He surprised me by not bringing any written notes, but supplied a steady stream of history on the Traverse Theater from its creation up until the 1970’s. Ian provided an objective view on the Traverse and was not afraid to point out that the work it produced wasn’t always “on the cutting edge”, but rather, it was the seemingly impossible space it resided in that made it a completely unique theater. There was time for a few questions at the end, to which Ian took great consideration and care in answering. Although he did not shy away from offering his opinions, Ian made it clear that there is no, one, definitive answer when it comes to theater.
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