Alan Bissett

When Billy Met Alasdair and The Red Hourglass bring together two vivid, inventive solo plays by acclaimed Scottish writer and performer Alan Bissett. In When Billy Met Alasdair, Billy Connolly’s 60th birthday party in Los Angeles becomes the starting point for a journey back to Glasgow in 1981, and the launch of Alasdair Gray’s landmark novel LANARK. Moving between Connolly’s exuberant comic storytelling, Gray’s strange and searching reflections on art, and Bissett’s own voice as writer-performer, the play imagines a meeting between two Glaswegian originals whose work transformed Scotland’s cultural imagination. The Red Hourglass turns from Scottish literary history to the unsettling world of the spider. Darkly funny, formally daring and full of theatrical bite, the play gives voice to a series of arachnids caught in systems of fear, control, violence and exploitation. What begins as a comic bestiary becomes a sharp satire on power, survival and the human instinct to dominate what it does not understand. Together, these plays show Bissett at his most playful, political and theatrically alive: blending biography, fantasy, comedy, cultural memory and fierce social imagination. Written for solo performance but adaptable for flexible casting, this volume is particularly suited to performers, theatre students, small companies and readers interested in contemporary Scottish drama. The Red Hourglass CAST: 1-6 actions DURATION: 60 minutes When Billy Met Alasdair CAST: 1-3 actions DURATION: 60 minutes

LADS is a toolkit for teenage boys on respect and consent, helping them call out bad behaviour and giving them the confidence to be their best selves. A MUST READ after watching Netflix's ADOLESCENCE!*What people are saying about LADS!* 'The antithesis of Andrew Tate' - Guardian'This book is the mate that backs you up and gives you the confidence to speak up for what's right, building the foundations for healthy, respectful relationships' - The Scotsman'If I could give this book 10 stars out of 5 I would do it in an instant. It is a well written, important and much needed handbook on how to be a good guy' - B Humphrey, Netgalley Reviewer***WINNER of the SLA Information Book Award 2024****Have you ever been in a situation where there's a loud guy making dodgy comments, cracking jokes that only he thinks are funny or leering at the girls in the room? You can feel the tension, right? That Guy is the worst, but no one is saying anything, because the whole situation is intimidating and awkward. This toolkit will help you call out bad behaviour and understand the serious issues facing girls today. And it will make you feel confident navigating relationships, so that everyone feels happy, heard and respected, while being the best version of yourself. From flirting disasters and what staying in the friend zone really means to the perils of porn, 'locker room talk' and the importance of consent, this is a vital handbook for lads who are fed up of That Guy, and who want to step up and help create positive change.*'The kind of book that tells you the things you need to hear as a teenage boy, but you'd rather not have to ask your mum or dad about, and in a way that feels chatty and not patronising. It's easy to dip in and out of the sections too. After reading it, I felt more confident about speaking up with my male friends when I heard them saying things that weren't right, and I hope I would be a better friend to my friends who are girls' - Sydney, aged 14Recommended for ages 13 and over.

The Ching Room A pitch-black two-hander set in a toilet cubicle. Rory realises he is out of his depth once he becomes trapped by the terrifying and enigmatic drug-dealer, Darren. Cast size: 2M. “Has subtle depth as a meditation on drug culture… The character of Darren is a demon for our times.” The Scotsman “Exudes the same sort of self-assurance as Gregory Burke’s debut, Gagarin Way… You can see real talent at work here.” Metro “As tight as a short drama set in a toilet cubicle should be…A curiously compelling little play… A script riddled with priceless back-alley gems.” The Herald “It’s exciting, totally absorbing theatre.” City Life, Manchester Turbo Folk A sharp look at Scottish nationality at home and abroad. Set in the sort of bar you wouldn’t take tourists to, in an unspecified Balkan country, Turbo Folk earned Bissett a nomination for Best New Play at the 2010 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS). Cast size: 3M. “Tells its story with pace and economy and delivers a real and frightening dramatic punch… The games Bissett plays with language are dazzling.” The Scotsman

‘a bedrock of the Scottish theatre industry’ The Guardian ‘a major part of Scotland’s new playwriting landscape’ The Scotsman After running for fifteen years, the founding principles of A Play, a Pie and a Pint remain steadfast – a new play at lunchtime every week that lasts no more than an hour, accompanied by a pie and a pint. As well as producing thirty-three new plays per year, Òran Mór also biannually hosts its much-adored pantomimes for grown up kids – both Summer and Winter – which have become a staple of the Glasgow theatrical calendar. This first volume collects some of the most popular and critically acclaimed plays from the phenomenal back catalogue. Includes the plays: A Respectable Widow Takes to Vulgarity (Douglas Maxwell) Toy Plastic Chicken (Uma Nada-Rajah) Chic Murray: A Funny Place for A Window (Stuart Hepburn) Ida Tamson (Denise Mina) Jocky Wilson Said (Jane Livingstone and Jonathan Cairney) Do Not Press This Button (Alan Bissett)

By day, Charlie Bain is the school's most inspiring teacher. By night he prowls the stylish bars of Glasgow seducing women. Fuelled by art, drugs and fantasies of being an indie star, Charlie journeys further into hedonism, unable to see the destruction his desires are leading everyone towards... One of Scotland's dazzling young writing talents tackles the modern phenomenon of sex addiction. Dark, funny and deliciously erotic, DEATH OF A LADIES' MAN is an intense portrait of male vanity, written with verve and emotional rawness.

A dazzling performance (think Forrest Gump, think Curious Incident, think Anne Donovan's Buddha Da) from one of Scotland's brightest new talents. Adam Spark. Eighteen going on eight-and-a-half. Fast-food worker. Queen fan. Last in the queue for luck. On waking from an accident in which he saves a child, he has the distinct impression that all is far from right. What are these curious lights that seem to surround people? Why are animals and machines trying to speak to him? And can he really control time? Is it just his imagination, or has Adam Spark been chosen to become Scotland's first, and only, superhero? This, however, is the least of his problems. The local gang is luring him into deeper and darker peril. His sister and lone carer, Jude, is giving all her love to another woman. And if Jude abandons Adam - or Adam drives her away - all the superpowers in the world won't be able to save him.