In our rapidly shifting world, themes that orbit and question the future are ever-urgent within the arts. In collaboration with BBC Scotland, the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) does exactly this with Future Acts, a series of six future-facing digital shorts that skillfully blend the theatrical form with film. Celebrated and award-winning Scottish playwrights, writers, directors, and performers have come together to tackle themes encircling the future. A former news anchor reports from a vanishing coastline, two strangers go on a date after being match-made by AI — a young man, attempting to understand true Scottish identity — summons a unicorn in a caravan. These films — all set 10 years in the future — tell stories in absurd, honest, and thought-provoking ways, posing the question: how do current happenings lead us into our future?
Each 10-minute long piece effectively captured and developed each narrative, exploring each idea with sharp dialogue and impeccable set, sound, and costume design. The medium of film provided much room for playful special effects (as in Un-Static and Bed to the Future), while preserving a human touch and an authentic focus on each character as would transpire on stage. NTS’ artistic director Jackie Wylie explained how each team was provided with specific parameters — one site, one script, one day of rehearsal, and one day of filming. Each film featured no more than two performers, with a focus on storytelling and dialogue. Such creative constraint was key to the successful translation of theatre into film. The shorts retained theatre’s raw nature and intimacy, allowing bits of a future Scotland to shine through in each character and their interactions.
Strategically “cushioned” between other films for its increased intensity, director Rhiane White’s Smoke stood out immediately, both thematically and in execution. Centred around the experience of climate anxiety, the short featured performer Nicolette McCormack, who moved to Shirley Manson’s narration of Kieran Hurley’s punchy, rhythmic writing. Lighting, sound, and set design were superbly harnessed alongside a chilling performance, creating a gripping atmosphere that captured the anxieties of living in a burning, sinking world. Arguably the most abstract piece in the lineup, the focus on movement and atmosphere was heavily reminiscent of in-person physical theatre, which was masterfully translated into film.
In response to a question regarding the common humorous approach to the otherwise-heavy themes of most films in this series, writer Natali McCleary (Un-Static) described the use of humour as “quite a Scottish thing” — fitting for this series. This allowed for an exploration of heavy topics, and how humour is used as a coping mechanism for many trauma survivors. As dystopian as the future may seem, the abstract, absurd approaches to these hypotheticals help to balance and deal with this weight.
NTS’ Future Acts is also running at Eden Court, Inverness and Astoria Cinema, Ayr. Buy tickets here.
Image by NTS Comms, provided to The Student for press use.
