Tron Theatre's Play Library
Glasgow's Tron Theatre's new Play Library sets the stage for access to classic plays and exciting new writing ✍️
This feature first appeared in The People’s Friend.
While it’s normal to curl up with a cup of tea and the latest hit novel, it might feel weird to do the same with the script of a hot new stage play.
But that’s exactly what one Scottish theatre is encouraging its visitors to do. The Tron Theatre in Glasgow recently opened their Play Library, a place people can come to pick up stage scripts to read at their leisure.
Situated in the box office, the public can come in and read a play in the theatre’s café bar or take it home with them for up to seven days. If someone is interested in a particular work, they can peruse the catalogue from the comfort of their own homes. If they see something they like the sound of, they can pop into the theatre and pick it up.
The library is stocked with classics from Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams, but new scripts by the UK’s youngest and brightest playwrights are there, too. “We saw it as an opportunity to give wider access to the incredible amount of plays out there,” Viviane Hullin, artistic producer at the Tron, says. “especially as it’s not always easy to read plays. We are continually adding to it, so it is always evolving. The young Scottish playwright Kieran Hurley just gave us a selection of his work, so it’s really well populated and varied.”
“Playwriting gives us an up-to-date look at the world around us and our society,” Viviane says. “The other great thing about plays is reading the dialogue,” she adds. “It really jumps off the page. It’s written to be spoken out loud. When you read it, you can hear the character’s voice in your head. It’s such a special thing that you can only get from plays.”
“The library has been a hit with visitors,” Viviane goes on. “People will come in to buy a ticket and are drawn over to the library and pick something out. They can come in to use the café and read while having food or a coffee. It’s a variety of stuff that’s picked out by people. One of the great things is that if someone watches a play and wants to know more about it, the Play Library allows them to explore the story further.”
For Viviane, it was important that the Tron’s local community has access to the literature of the stage. It can be tricky to source these texts without help. “There’s a barrier to accessing them,” she says. “If you are no longer affiliated with an educational institution, it can be really expensive. It allows readers to take a chance to check out something that you’re not sure about without any financial cost involved.”
The special thing about libraries is that they are a service for their local communities, and they have such a wonderful part to play in our societies. “I’m so pleased the Tron has a part in that legacy through the Play Library.”
Find out more about Tron Theatre’s Play Library here.