Dundee Rep announces the welcome return of its critically acclaimed smash hit, Smile, which in 2020 saw the auditorium filled to the brim, many of the audience football fans, with hundreds of people making this show their first ever visit to a theatre.
Originally presented in February and March 2020 as part of Dundee Rep’s 80th anniversary season which was cut short due to the global pandemic, this version of Smile is restaged and shot specifically for film and presented on Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre’s new digital platform, Rep Studios.
Smile focuses on the legendary and controversial figure of Jim McLean, Dundee United’s boss who took the team to new heights. He did something that no-one thought possible: turned a provincial football club into a genuine European force, though not without cost.
Examining the life of this highly divisive icon, Smile shines light on the complexities and contradictions, the highs and lows and the triumphs and regrets of Dundee United’s boss, ultimately revealing a Jim McLean not many knew: the one that makes you smile.
Penned by theatre and television writer Philip Differ (Only an Excuse?) and directed by Sally Reid (Scot Quad), the film version of the theatre show, shot on Dundee Rep’s stage, will see Dundee Rep Ensemble’s Barrie Hunter reprising his critically acclaimed role of McLean and Chris Alexander as Jimmy.
Rep Studios is a new digital platform showcasing a season of theatre, dance, and music, celebrating Dundee’s distinctive cultural voice within a wider world facing change and evolution driven by these unique times. It is aimed at reaching and engaging wider audiences thanks to its accessible and digital nature.
The platform provides employment for 84 Scottish based freelancers over 5 months and builds on last year’s digital output which employed 55 freelance artists and creatives.
The first season of Rep Studios includes, apart from Smile, the award-winning musical Islander, two digital premieres from Scottish Dance Theatre, a fresh focus on music events, and a new Mini-Festival, This is for you Dundee.
Tickets for Smile are on sale here.
