Black Watch (play)
Encyclopedia
Black Watch is a play written by Gregory Burke
and directed by John Tiffany for the National Theatre of Scotland
. Based on interviews with former soldiers, it portrays soldiers in the Black Watch
regiment of the British Army
serving on Operation TELIC
in Iraq
during 2004, prior to the amalgamation into the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Black Watch was first performed during the Edinburgh Festival
on 1 August 2006 in a temporary Traverse stage at the former University of Edinburgh
Officer Training Corps' Drill hall
.
Well received by critics, Black Watch has won a Herald
Angel, The Scotsman
Fringe First, a Best Theatre Writing Award from The List, a Stage Award for Best Ensemble, the South Bank Show
award for Theatre and four CATS
.
and the Tayside
region in Scotland, and the army has been a part of their lives for generations. Their fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers, have been soldiers in the regiment - a regiment that has been involved in virtually every major conflict since it was formed as the Gallant Forty Twa
in 1739. "It's in the blood. It's part of who we are."
In October 2004, the Black Watch was at the centre of political controversy after the United States Army
requested British forces to be moved further north outside of the British-controlled Multi-National Division (South East), in order to replace forces temporarily redeployed for the Second Battle of Fallujah.
Despite objections in Parliament
, the deployment went ahead. Based at Camp Dogwood
, located between Fallujah
and Karbala
, in an area later dubbed the "Triangle of Death", the Black Watch came under sustained insurgent
attack from mortars
and rockets. On 4 November three soldiers and an interpreter were killed by a car bomb at a check point
. The high profile nature of the deployment caused a magnification of these deaths back home in Britain. On 16 December 2004, the controversy surrounding the Black Watch was further heightened by the official announcement that the regiment was to be amalgamated with the other regiments in the Scottish Division
to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The then Secretary of State for Defence
, Geoff Hoon
, was accused by the SNP
of "stabbing the soldiers in the back" and being motivated purely by political and administrative concerns, with little regard to the effect on morale.
(Sergeant/Writer), Ali Craig (Stewarty), Ryan Fletcher
(Kenzie), Jordan Young (Rossco).
Other cast members have included: Tom Smith (Sergeant/ Writer - 2007 Scottish tour), Jack Fortune (Officer - 2007-2008), Henry Pettigrew (Rossco, 2007-2008).
makes Black Watch one of the most richly human works of art to have emerged from this long-lived war"
The New York Times
"Rarely has the torpor, the tension, the nerve-shattering randomness of this conflict's violence been made so
agonizingly real - in real time. Black Watch is like a dose of caffeine delivered directly to the bloodstream."
The Washington Post
"Black Watch is an astonishing artistic whirlwind. The world must see this play. Immediately."
The Herald
"Brimming with breathtaking theatricality, inventiveness, style, thought provoking intelligence,
humour and heart…an unmissable piece of theatre."
Metro
"A mature and complex piece of political theatre – fierce, passionate and unguarded."
The Guardian
"Few will come away untouched by this thrilling, raw, challenging and masterful piece of work"
The Times
"Black Watch is a glorious piece of theatre, raw, truthful, uncomfortable, political funny, moving,
graceful and dynamic"
Scotland on Sunday
" A magnificent piece of social and political theatre, a high point not just of the festival but of the
theatrical year"
The Observer
James Denselow (The Guardian)"Theatre provides a more intimate and visceral space to examine war, and it is excellently filled by Gregory Burke's superb Black Watch, currently showing at the Barbican in London. It tells the story of the famous Scottish regiment, "on the ground" in Camp Dogwood in 2004 and in doing so provides a reminder of the distance between those who fight our wars and those back home who try to understand them.
Iraq is a war detached and buffered in numerous ways from its domestic constituency back in the UK. Financially we've not been affected (Joseph Stiglitz explained how the entire war was "fought on credit") and having a professional army has meant that our society has not been faced by the traumas of conscription. Our soldiers alone understand the horrors of the conflict and the reasons for being there ("porn an petrol" says one officer). At one point in Black Watch when a reporter asks a former soldier about his experience, the soldier threatens to break his arm. Why? "If he wants tae ken aboot Iraq, he hiz tae feel some pain."
In the play Iraq itself has become a catalyst for both the rejection of war back home and for the Black Wat "tribe" to learn about the pain of loss of friends. The "golden thread" of regimental history is also a presence, with the story set as the Black Watch is being merged into a Scottish "super-regiment". Where do the Iraqis fit in to all this? When asked about their interactions with the population a soldier reacts with surprise: "Whit the fuck hiv the Iraqis got tae fuckin dae wi anythin?"
Black Watch is fuelled by a relentless energy that is a potent reminder of the prime of life, so quickly transformed into death, severe physical or mental injury. It is also a reminder of the great distance between the British population and the wars fought in its name".
Gregory Burke
Gregory Burke is a Scottish playwright from Rosyth, Fife, Scotland.-Life:His family moved to Gibraltar in 1979 and returned to Dunfermline in 1984. He attended St John's Primary in Rosyth, St Christopher's Middle School in Gibraltar, Bayside Comprehensive, Gibraltar and St Columba's High School,...
and directed by John Tiffany for the National Theatre of Scotland
National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland is a theatre company established in February 2006. The company performs in a wide range of venues including theatres, halls and found spaces across Scotland....
. Based on interviews with former soldiers, it portrays soldiers in the Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
serving on Operation TELIC
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during 2004, prior to the amalgamation into the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Black Watch was first performed during the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
on 1 August 2006 in a temporary Traverse stage at the former University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
Officer Training Corps' Drill hall
Drill hall
A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practice and perform military drill. In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was also used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, which usually incorporated such a hall...
.
Well received by critics, Black Watch has won a Herald
The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
Angel, The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
Fringe First, a Best Theatre Writing Award from The List, a Stage Award for Best Ensemble, the South Bank Show
The South Bank Show
The South Bank Show was a television arts magazine show, originally made by London Weekend Television , presented by Melvyn Bragg, broadcast on ITV and seen in over 60 countries worldwide — including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States...
award for Theatre and four CATS
Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland
The Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland were inaugurated in May 2003, and are adjudicated by a panel of all the regular Scottish theatre critics.The 2009 ceremony took place at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre on June 14...
.
Context
The Black Watch regiment is based in FifeFife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
and the Tayside
Tayside
Tayside Region was a local government region of Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. It was created by the 1973 Act following recommendations made by the 1969 Wheatley Report which attempted to replace the mishmash of counties, cities, burghs and districts, with a uniform two-tier system...
region in Scotland, and the army has been a part of their lives for generations. Their fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers, have been soldiers in the regiment - a regiment that has been involved in virtually every major conflict since it was formed as the Gallant Forty Twa
42nd Regiment of Foot
The 42nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally the 43rd Highlanders they were renumbered the 42nd in 1748.- Early history :...
in 1739. "It's in the blood. It's part of who we are."
In October 2004, the Black Watch was at the centre of political controversy after the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
requested British forces to be moved further north outside of the British-controlled Multi-National Division (South East), in order to replace forces temporarily redeployed for the Second Battle of Fallujah.
Despite objections in Parliament
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, the deployment went ahead. Based at Camp Dogwood
Camp Dogwood
Camp Dogwood is the name of the base camp for the British Black Watch regiment in Iraq, 2004, located south of Baghdad.Camp Dogwood is also the name for a US FOB, further to the north of the original Camp Dogwood, from late 2004 to 2005, located between Fallujah and Karbala. It is also known as FOB...
, located between Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
and Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
, in an area later dubbed the "Triangle of Death", the Black Watch came under sustained insurgent
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
attack from mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
and rockets. On 4 November three soldiers and an interpreter were killed by a car bomb at a check point
Civilian checkpoint
Civilian checkpoints or Security checkpoints are distinguishable from border or frontier checkpoints in that they are erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary control...
. The high profile nature of the deployment caused a magnification of these deaths back home in Britain. On 16 December 2004, the controversy surrounding the Black Watch was further heightened by the official announcement that the regiment was to be amalgamated with the other regiments in the Scottish Division
Scottish Division
The Scottish Division is a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all Scottish line infantry units. The Scottish Division was formed on July 1, 1968 with the amalgamation of the Lowland Brigade and Highland Brigade...
to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The then Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
, Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
, was accused by the SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
of "stabbing the soldiers in the back" and being motivated purely by political and administrative concerns, with little regard to the effect on morale.
Cast
The original cast included: Brian Ferguson (Cammy), Paul HigginsPaul Higgins (actor)
Paul Higgins is a Scottish actor. He has appeared onstage in Paul, Black Watch and in the film Complicity....
(Sergeant/Writer), Ali Craig (Stewarty), Ryan Fletcher
Ryan Fletcher
Ryan Fletcher, 27, is a Scottish actor.Fletcher grew up in Blantyre. He was in the hit theatre show "Black Watch" for the "National Theatre of Scotland" and has appeared in 'River City', 'Taggart' and more recently 'Limmy's Show'. He has worked nationally and internationally in Film T.V and...
(Kenzie), Jordan Young (Rossco).
Other cast members have included: Tom Smith (Sergeant/ Writer - 2007 Scottish tour), Jack Fortune (Officer - 2007-2008), Henry Pettigrew (Rossco, 2007-2008).
Score
- Salute to the Commonwealth - The Band of HM Royal Marines Scotland
- Spitting Games - Snow PatrolSnow PatrolSnow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
- First Sleep - Cliff MartinezCliff MartinezCliff Martinez is an American film score composer and former drummer.-Biography:Cliff Martinez was born in the Bronx, New York. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, his first job composing was for the popular television show Pee Wee's Playhouse...
- Gallant Forty Twa - Traditional, arr. Davey Anderson
- Selection - The Black Watch Pipes and Drums
- Forfar Sodgar - Traditional, arr. Davey Anderson
- Farewell to Nigg - ShoogleniftyShoogleniftyShooglenifty are an Edinburgh-based six-piece Celtic fusion band that tours internationally. The band blends Scottish traditional music with influences ranging from electronica to alternative rock...
- Summer 78 - Yann TiersenYann TiersenYann Tiersen is a musician from France. His musical career is split between studio albums, collaborations and film soundtracks with a distinctive sound that is always involved...
- Twa Recruiting Sergeants - Traditional, arr. Davey Anderson
- Maybe You’re My Puppet - Cliff MartinezCliff MartinezCliff Martinez is an American film score composer and former drummer.-Biography:Cliff Martinez was born in the Bronx, New York. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, his first job composing was for the popular television show Pee Wee's Playhouse...
- Last Days - Max RichterMax RichterMax Richter is a German-born British composer.-Biography:Richter studied composition and piano at University of Edinburgh, the Royal Academy of Music and with Luciano Berio in Florence. After finishing his studies, Richter co-founded the contemporary classical ensemble Piano Circus...
- A Thearlaich Òig (Oh Young Charles Stewart) - Margaret BennettMargaret Bennett (writer)Dr. Margaret Bennett is a renowned Scottish writer, folklorist, ethnologist, broadcaster and singer. Her main interests lies in the field of traditional Scottish folk culture and cultural identity of the Scots, home and abroad...
& Martyn BennettMartyn BennettMartyn Bennett was a Scottish musician who was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada... - Flowers of the ForestFlowers of the ForestFlowers of the Forest is an ancient Scottish folk tune. Although the original words are unknown, the melody was recorded in c. 1615-25 in the John Skene of Halyards Manuscript as "Flowres of the Forrest", though it may have been composed earlier....
- Traditional, arr. Davey Anderson - Black Bear - Traditional, arr. Davey Anderson
Reviews
"They were every soldier; they were also irreducibly themselves. This exquisitely sustained double visionmakes Black Watch one of the most richly human works of art to have emerged from this long-lived war"
The New York Times
"Rarely has the torpor, the tension, the nerve-shattering randomness of this conflict's violence been made so
agonizingly real - in real time. Black Watch is like a dose of caffeine delivered directly to the bloodstream."
The Washington Post
"Black Watch is an astonishing artistic whirlwind. The world must see this play. Immediately."
The Herald
"Brimming with breathtaking theatricality, inventiveness, style, thought provoking intelligence,
humour and heart…an unmissable piece of theatre."
Metro
"A mature and complex piece of political theatre – fierce, passionate and unguarded."
The Guardian
"Few will come away untouched by this thrilling, raw, challenging and masterful piece of work"
The Times
"Black Watch is a glorious piece of theatre, raw, truthful, uncomfortable, political funny, moving,
graceful and dynamic"
Scotland on Sunday
" A magnificent piece of social and political theatre, a high point not just of the festival but of the
theatrical year"
The Observer
James Denselow (The Guardian)"Theatre provides a more intimate and visceral space to examine war, and it is excellently filled by Gregory Burke's superb Black Watch, currently showing at the Barbican in London. It tells the story of the famous Scottish regiment, "on the ground" in Camp Dogwood in 2004 and in doing so provides a reminder of the distance between those who fight our wars and those back home who try to understand them.
Iraq is a war detached and buffered in numerous ways from its domestic constituency back in the UK. Financially we've not been affected (Joseph Stiglitz explained how the entire war was "fought on credit") and having a professional army has meant that our society has not been faced by the traumas of conscription. Our soldiers alone understand the horrors of the conflict and the reasons for being there ("porn an petrol" says one officer). At one point in Black Watch when a reporter asks a former soldier about his experience, the soldier threatens to break his arm. Why? "If he wants tae ken aboot Iraq, he hiz tae feel some pain."
In the play Iraq itself has become a catalyst for both the rejection of war back home and for the Black Wat "tribe" to learn about the pain of loss of friends. The "golden thread" of regimental history is also a presence, with the story set as the Black Watch is being merged into a Scottish "super-regiment". Where do the Iraqis fit in to all this? When asked about their interactions with the population a soldier reacts with surprise: "Whit the fuck hiv the Iraqis got tae fuckin dae wi anythin?"
Black Watch is fuelled by a relentless energy that is a potent reminder of the prime of life, so quickly transformed into death, severe physical or mental injury. It is also a reminder of the great distance between the British population and the wars fought in its name".