- What We Do
- Who's Who
- History
- Strange Behaviour
What We Do
Suspect Culture is one of Scotland's leading theatre companies.
Over the past 12 years Suspect Culture has become one of Scotland's leading arts organisations with an international reputation for creating groundbreaking high quality new work. We have worked with some of the most respected artists and organisations in the UK and internationally and our approach is based on the creative circulation of ideas; between different cultures, art forms, artists and issues, and most importantly, between us and our audience.
We create new performance work in a variety of media; primarily theatre but also visual art and film. All our activity is based on a set of core values:
- Collaboration
- Interdisciplinarity
- Internationalism
- Interpretation
Collaboration
We are committed to sharing artistic visions with a wide variety of leading artists
We create work through a rigorous collaborative process involving extensive development periods including research, workshops and experimentation
We give artists the opportunity to develop skills and fulfil potential by engaging with this process and each other in inspiring ways
We are committed to developing projects in partnership with other organisations to maximise ideas, talents and resources
Interdisciplinarity
We explore performance in a variety of contexts theatre, gallery/installation, film
We work with leading artists from different disciplines allowing them to be influenced and inspired by each other
We give great consideration to identifying the most appropriate medium through which to express particular ideas
We want to explore the different ways our ideas can resonate with our audience and use these different formats to enrich their relationship with the company and its work
Internationalism
We maintain developing relationships with associate artists from a variety different countries
We are committed to exchanging different cultural influences and creative approaches
We explore issues of culture and language in the content of our work
Interpretation
We create interpretive materials and events to enhance our audiences experience of our work
We like to provide our audience with a context for individual pieces of work
We make connections between different projects across our whole programme of work
We are committed to offering an ideal environment for artists to unlock their creative potential and make high quality work for a wide audience.
Who's who
The Company
- Graham Eatough Artistic Director
Graham co-founded Suspect Culture in 1992 and has been the company's Artistic Director since 1995. He has been involved in all Suspect Culture's productions, and has also directed work for the Tron theatre, 7:84 and Cryptic Productions. He has directed short film with the Film Council's Digicult Project, and has worked as a performer in film, television and theatre. He received a Creative Scotland Award in 2001.
- David Morgan General Manager
David is the company's General manager. He previously worked as Front of House/Box Office Manager at Gilmorehill G12 and was Front of House Manager for Glasgow Repertory Company's Bard in the Botanics 2003 season. He is a graduate of Glasgow University and has written about music and film.
- Devina Kumar Interpretation Officer
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Devina originally joined the company as Administrator in 2005, and successfully applied for the post of Interpretation Officer when the post was advertised in 2007. Before moving to Scotland to join Suspect Culture, Devina worked in the public sector in the North of England. She is a graduate of Dundee University.
- Judith Riddell Administrator
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Judith joined the company in October 2007. She previously worked in Events Administration at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with an MA in Creative and Cultural Studies.
Brian Daly Finance Officer
Brian joined Suspect Culture as Finance Officer in 2005, and works part-time for several arts organisations in Glasgow. He was formerly active in property and metal trading.
Associate Artists
- Renato Gabrielli
Renato is a playwright and director based in Milan. He was dramaturg at Teatro Stabile di Brescia from 1997 - 2001 and currently teaches drama at the Statale University and Scuola d'Arte Drammatica 'Paolo Grassi' in Milan. His double-bill Death in the City was performed at the Tron Theatre, and his play A Mobile Thriller won a Herald Angel award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2004. He co-wrote the TV dramas L'albero azzurro and La città infinita. He has recently co-founded the theatre company pianozerotre teatro, based in Milan, which will stage his new play Tre - Una storia d'amore in May 2008.
David Greig
David is a co-founder of Suspect Culture, for whom he regularly writes text. His work outside the company includes San Diego, Victoria, Caledonia Dreaming, The Architect, Dr Korzcak's Example, Petra, Europe, Yellow Moon and The Bacchae
- Andrés Lima
Andrés is an actor, writer and director based in Madrid. Since 1991, he has directed around 20 productions, often working with Compania Riesgo, which he founded in 1993, and Animalario, the company which he runs together with long-time collaborator Alberto San Juan. He appeared in Suspect Culture’s Airport in 1996, and worked on Casanova in 2000. He is best known for Pornografía Barata (2002) Alejandro y Ana. Lo que España no pudo ver del banquete de la boda de la hija del presidente (2003), which won Best Play Award at the Gala de los Premios Max. Animalario received a similar award for Best Company in 2003. Andrés also works as an actor in film and television. -
Patrick Macklin
Patrick is a graphic designer and has designed Suspect Culture’s visual identity since 1998. He is a partner in Frozen River and co-founder of the art and design collective Lapland. He has exhibited work in the UK and internationally and his clients include Kaffe Matthews, The Hidden Gardens (Tramway) and Savalas. Patrick also lectures in the Design School at The Glasgow School of Art.
Maurício Paroni de Castro
Maurício is an Italian/Brazilian director. He studied and taught at the Scuola D'Arte Drammatica "Piccolo Teatro"di Milano. He studied with artists like Tadeusz Kantor and Heiner Müller, and has directed over 40 plays. For Suspect Culture, he worked on Airport, Candide 2000 and The Golden Ass. He has taught drama internationally and wrote the film Delicate Crime, internationaly prized. He is now working on three of Pirandello's plays with his company Manufactura Suspeita, based in São Paulo, Brazil.
Nick Powell
Nick has been an important part of the company since its origins at Bristol University. He has written the music for 14 productions. Recent work outside the company includes Marat Sade (Centro Dramático Nacional, Madrid), Realism (National Theatre of Scotland/ Edinburgh International Festival), The Wonderful World of Dissocia (NTS/ Tron) and The Wolves in the Walls (Improbable Theatre/ National Theatre of Scotland). Nick also writes scores for film and TV. He is one half of the band OSKAR (www.oskaroline.com)
Dan Rebellato
Playwright. Plays include Mile End (Fringe First, 2007, Arches Brick Award, 2007), Here's What I Did With My Body One Day, Chekhov in Hell, A Modest Adjustment and Outright Terror Bold and Brilliant. He co-wrote (with David Greig) Futurology for Suspect Culture. His work for radio includes Erskine May, Emily Rising, Cavalry, and adaptations of The Midwich Cuckoos (nominated for a SONY Award), Dead Souls and Girlfriend in a Coma
Sergio Romano
Sergio is one of Italy’s leading stage actors trained at the Scuole d’Arte Dramatica in Milan and is best known in Italy for his awardwinning performances in Hamlet (1994) and as Iago (2001) for Teatro Il Rossetti in Trieste. In 2000 he appeared in Suspect Culture’s The Golden Ass (Tron) and also performed in A Different Language (2005). Other theatre work includes La Moscheta, I Due Gemelli Veneziani and Questa Sera Si Recita A Soggeto directed by M.Castri. Films include La Vita Altrui, Da Zero a Dieci and La Terza Stella.
Ian Scott
After working on Airport in 1996, Ian joined the company as an Associate Artist. He designed the set and lighting for Timeless (1997) and Mainstream (1999) and has worked on many of Suspect Culture’s subsequent shows, most recently Futurology (2007). Other current projects include Our Friends in the North (Northern Stage), The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre), The Wedding Dance (Nitro) and Duck! (Unicorn).
The Board
- Hugh Hodgart (Chair)
Hugh is Course Leader and Head of Acting at RSAMD, Glasgow. He was Associate Director for TAG Theatre at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, before serving as Associate Director at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh for nine years. He has directed a wide range of plays, both classic and contemporary, and has also lectured and conducted workshops in several countries including France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Switzerland and the former USSR. - Jeni Iannetta
Jeni has worked in arts marketing for over 12 years and has extensive experience of other areas including sponsorship, audience development, business planning and forecasting, and strategic marketing (Dundee Rep, BBC Scotland, Scottish Opera). She recently left her post as Head of Communications at Dundee Contemporary Arts to become an art dealer and director of the Fraser Gallery in Dundee - Jim Law
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Jim is Managing Director of mruk research ltd, which is part of Cello Group plc. His company operates across the UK and specialises in Primary Social Research using Quantitative & Qualitative methods. Jim’s background was in the Communications & Marketing sectors particularly in the evaluation of activity. He is a member of the advisory board of the Market Research Society, regular guest lecturer at University of Stirling & University of Strathclyde and a member of the Charitable Services Committee of Poppyscotland.
- Jack Queen
Jack joined the board of Suspect Culture in 2003. He spent most of his career in banking, particularly with the Clydesdale Bank, for whom he worked as Head of Planning from 1987 - 1990, and as General Manager from 1990 - 1997. He enjoys golf and sailing, and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland. - David Williams
David is Chief Executive of the Kings and Theatre Royal Glasgow; The Ambassador Theatre Group manages both. David sits on two other Boards: Glasgow Grows Audiences, the new audience development agency for Glasgow; and Market, a contemporary art gallery in Dennistoun.
History
Suspect Culture was founded at Bristol University in the early 1990s by Graham Eatough, David Greig and Nick Powell.
Their idea was to develop a style that would combine the best traditions of British and European theatre, working with text but giving equal weight to visual and musical elements. This has remained a core approach within the company ever since.
The company initially operated on a profit share basis and presented shows in England, Scotland and abroad. In the early 1990s, Graham and David moved the company to Scotland, and were able to secure project funding for One Way Street (1995), and Airport (1996), which established Suspect Culture as a significant new company on the Scottish scene with regular tours to Europe.
Ian Scott joined the company in 1996 and, over the next few years, Suspect Culture enjoyed considerable success at home and abroad. Timeless was produced by the Edinburgh International Festival in 1997 and was subsequently performed at the Donmar Warehouse. Mainstream was co-produced by the Bush Theatre in 1999 and continues to be performed on a regular basis by other theatres and companies in Europe.
Suspect Culture's interest in drawing on the different theatre traditions of other countries led to our developed relationships with a number of international artists, whom we work with on a regular basis, including Mauricio Paroni de Castro (Brazil), Andres Lima (Spain), Sergio Romano and Renato Gabrielli (Italy) who all joined the company as associate artists.
The artists involved in Suspect Culture have enjoyed considerable success in their careers outwith the company throughout its development, and in 2003 Suspect Culture was restructured to consist of a core staff of four, supporting a growing team of associate artists who continue to be involved in projects on a regular basis while also pursuing independent careers.
Today the company is based at CCA in Glasgow, with a core team of Graham Eatough (Artistic Director), David Morgan General Manager), Faith Liddell (Executive Producer), Devina Kumar (Administrative Assistant) and Brian Daly (Finance Officer).
Strange Behaviour
Strange Behaviour is a programme of work with the simple aim of engaging audiences by contextualising our work through a variety of engaging interpretive activities and materials.
Strange Behaviour started off as is a series of symposia open to anyone interested in discussion, debate and an exchange of ideas. Its aim was to bring together theatre and other worlds of practice for a day of talks, presentations and workshops. Previous events have included Creative Thinking and Futures Thinking (2007), Theatre and Geography (2005) and Theatre and the World of Money (2004).
For further information on previous Strange Behaviour symposia or about the new interpretation programme, please visit www.suspectculture.com/strangebehaviour