Photo: Lung Ha's Theatre

The day that Eva’s mother disappeared was Eva’s school graduation. Also her grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. 13 sunken years is the story about three women, of different ages, that are dealing with their lives, their losses, their past and even with themselves and the landscape and the magic of the river.

13 sunken years is the last play of Lung Ha’s Theatre, although it was a joint work with Stellar Quines Theatre, another company based in Edinburgh as is Lung Ha’s.

Lung Ha’s is not a typical company. “The idea is to give people with learning disabilities the opportunity to perform”, Callum Madge, creative administrator, explains.

The theatre company was set up in 1984. In the beginning Richard Vallis and Pete Clerke, who created it, didn’t intend to start a company, just one show, which was an adaption of a Chinese myth. That play, called Lung Ha’s Monkey, would be the inspiration for its name.

The first show received good feedback and so Richard and Pete did another one. The company had started. Now, after 30 years, Lung Ha’s has probably 40 plays to its credit and has changed a lot. In 2005, for example, for first time they had a full time artistic director who has been really important to the quality of the work.

However the main aim has remained the same. “Becoming an actor is a difficult enough job anyway, even if you are an incredible skilled actor, but if you have learning disabilities it is probably more challenging. They really loved the idea of a company dedicated to people with learning disabilities”, Callum says. They, of course, still love the idea.

The present

They work in the same way any other theatre companies do, but have a long rehearsal period before the show, because they want to give the performers a “real chance to get the lines down and the blocking down”. Besides, a lot of them have other things to do, like part-time jobs, which are important. The last three weeks, all the same, they rehearse all day, every day.

Lung Ha’s theatre produces two plays per year, mainly drama, although they have done comedies. One of them is a spring production, which the public can watch around March and April. The other one is an autumn production they perform around September and October. However, this year they participated in the Fringe Festival with 13 sunken years and they will probably not do another show until next March.

They used to be a large group, over 30 people, but in 2008 they started an audition process because they wanted to make sure that people who are joining really want to do it. So, now, they take a maximum of 25 people. The next auditions will be held next year but if someone wants to get involve they can email Callum (admin@lunghas.co.uk), who is making a list of people who are interested. He will send information when the process starts.

In Long Ha’s, people are involved in the creative process and get to improve their drama skills, but Callum thinks that the process definitely has social elements. “You are learning life skills, teamwork, independence… I think there is a therapeutic element, as well”.