News Story
We’re excited to share the full line-up of artists participating in the The Neighbourhood Variety Show: Sauchiehall Street on Thursday 5 June.
The Neighbourhood Variety Show is a performance project created by Eoin McKenzie who was Artist in Residence: Communities for the Neighbourhood Project in 2024. The original production took place in Springburn Auditorium in July 2024. The project seeks to re-imagine the tradition of variety shows. This summer there will be two performances featuring a host of local talent, who are taking to the stage in a celebration of one of Glasgow’s most famous promenades. This version of the Neighbourhood Variety Show will take place at the popular Garage Night Club on Sauchiehall Street.
The line up for the performances on 05 June is:
The Mission Voices Choir. Tim Kelly and Stuart Mitchell aka Mona Mae and Karyn Tyne, Overdrive Dance Company, Monday Night Drama @ Platform, Easterhouse, Jess Fitzpatrick and a special contribution from Phil and Fiona from Glasgow Music Tours - The Music Mile. MC’ed by Darren Brownlie
Eoin McKenzie said
“Making The Neighbourhood Variety Show has been a total pleasure. It's an honour to be working so closely with such a rich tapestry of Glasgow's community groups, local talents, and performers to reimagine the tradition of variety shows. I’m certain that audiences will have a great time listening to the stories of former variety show dancers, seeing youth groups take to the stage, and laughing with local drag queens poking fun at Glasgow’s unique cultural identity! My hope is to create a show where the stage is a celebration of community - in all its forms - and where Glasgow’s cultural history and activity can be celebrated at a moment where the city is reimagining what the music mile can be.”
ABOUT THE ACTS
The Mission Voices Choir was formed in 2011 for service users at the homeless centre The Lodging House Mission in Glasgow, providing fun weekly singing sessions and performance opportunities mainly in and around Glasgow. From pop to gospel to country the group enjoy singing in a wide variety of musical styles & genres and have built up a strong repertoire of songs, many of these requested by the group members themselves. The choir have sang on a couple of occasions in Glasgow City Chambers and perform annually at The International Eradication of Poverty event at George Square in Glasgow. In recent years the choir have entertained at numerous community events, homeless conferences and care settings as well as many in-house events and services at LHM itself.
Mona Mae is an ageing southern belle who grew up in the backwoods of the bible belt. She escaped the sectarian Southern States and now makes her home in Glasgow. She’s performed numerous times on both sides of the Atlantic and several times in the Atlantic (Fire Island and Las Palmas). Mona Mae is part church lady, part tennis grandma, part showgirl, part Scarlett O’Hara. A career highlight was the staging of her show at the Fringe: Sanctified Trash: The Life and Times of Mona Mae
Karyn Tyne is third daughter to Maggie and Jimmy Tyne of the Gorbals. Karyn is a talented vocalist with a no octave range and a fail in Music and Drama O level. Karyn received many accolades in her career with such reviews as "WTF?" Daily Record, "Can I have my money back?" The Scotsman and "Sweet Mothering Hell!" The Herald. Karyn has performed in many venues such as the High Court, Bell Street Police Station and the old Anderston Bus Station.
Overdrive Dance Company is an encouraging and inclusive space welcoming male-identifying dancers from all backgrounds and abilities, challenging the stigma of boys dancing. Overdrive Dance Company was established in 2015, born from the success of Matthew Bourne's Lord of the Flies which invited local, young male dancers to be part of the production and has since continued to build a community of male-identifying young dancers in Scotland. Overdrive believes in removing barriers to participating in the arts and for young people involved it is free of charge, and other support is available to remove financial barriers.
Fiona and Phil of Glasgow Music City Tours explore the city’s most notable venues and bring alive the stories of the legendary performers who have stayed, played, and made music in the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music. Glasgow’s diverse venues have always played a vital part in fuelling the city’s creative sonic boom. Our guided walking tours map out the musical landmarks from long gone, much missed icons like the Apollo to the hip hangouts of the current music community. Fiona and Phil are enthusiastic music fans, performers and writers who are immersed in Glasgow’s cultural life.
Monday Night Drama is a group of like-minded teenagers who meet every Monday at Platform in Easterhouse. Each year they work with artists to create humorous, surreal, and contemporary performances. Recently, the group have been exploring the internet phenomenon of 'brainrot', with a specific interest in Italian Brainrot. They also like to play games and do improvisation. For the Neighbourhood Variety show they are reimagining the urban myth around The Stone of Destiny.
Jess Fitzpatrick is an 82-year-old former variety show dancer. She left school at 15 and started working professionally in 1958 with pantomime and variety shows, performing as a dancer in The Andy Stewart Show, Alec Finlay Show, Lex McLean’s Showtime, and Scotland and UK. In later life, she performed in amateur theatre and was on the production teams for three companies, one for over two decades. She now performs with Tricky Hat Productions’ FLAMES, an ensemble of older artists creating original work. In June, she will reunite and perform with them at the CCA in a cross-cultural performance celebrating creativity later in life. Jess is excited to be sharing her stories of Glasgow's variety shows of the past, and to be bringing it to the stage once again.
The event is MC’ed by the irrepressible Darren Brownlie, well known to Scottish audiences for his roles in BBC’ Scotland’s River City and as a King’s Theatre panto regular.
