MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards: GRIT-The Martyn Bennett Story

Congratulations to GRIT – The Martyn Bennett Story who have been nominated in Event of the Year sponsored by VisitScotland in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2014. Vote now!

We asked Cora Bissett of GRIT – The Martyn Bennett Story the following questions.

Tell us about yourself
Pachamama is the production company behind GRIT-The Martyn Bennett Story and was set up by actress/director/songwriter Cora Bissett in 2010. The company’s launch production was the multi-award winning RoadKill. Pachamama seeks to merge music and theatre in bold and innovative ways finding new hybrids and new forms. The company Is passionate about cross-form work rooted in collaborations and creating distinctly Scottish work which appeals to wide ranging audiences.

Why are you involved in Scottish music?
Cora started out in rock bands as a teenager in Fife, and survived various rock n roll swindles at the hands of unscrupulous managers! firstly with indie band Darlingheart then creating the alternative folk-fusion ‘SwellingMeg.’ After years as an actress she started her own company. One of the features driving the company is to bring her twin loves of live music and theatre together. In ‘Whatever gets You through the Night’ she commissioned 10 of Scotland’s brilliant songwriters and bands to create original music for a large scale cross form piece, producing an album with Biphonic records; we collaborated with great talents like RM Hubbert, Ricky Ross, Conqeuring Animal Sound, Withered Hand. In ‘Glasgow Girls’ she worked with such diverse Scottish music artists from rap to Hip hop to electronic to folk. Recently she directed ‘Janis Joplin-Full Tilt’ ( theatre/rock gig) by Peter Arnott which played sold out runs at Oran Mor, the Fringe and the Tron, Cora is passionate about collaborating with the wide diversity of musical talent in Scotland. It seems insane not to!

Any particular career highlights?
Seeing a whole audience stand as GRIT played in Glasgow Tramway, watching the emotion, and seeing people flock to buy Martyn’s album, realising we were introducing a whole new crowd to his music. When ‘RoadKill’ swept the boards at the Edinburgh Fringe 2010, winning an Amnesty International Award and went on to be awarded a Lawrence Olivier Award in London. Touring the show to Paris, Chicago and New York, and seeing the show adapt to all these different places in the world, and seeing too the inspiring grassroots anti-trafficking action we were able to work alongside. Winning ‘Best Actress’ for her part in David Greig’s ‘Midsummer’ and playing Sydney Opera House. ( a random lunch at Cate Blanchette’s as a result would be right up there too!) Seeing the real life story of ‘The Glasgow Girls’ finally come to life, seeing the ‘real people’ standing proudly in the Citizens theatre, seeing the love and admiration for them from the audience. Seeing Glasgow Girls scoop ‘Best new Musical’ in the ‘Off West End Awards’ in London. Seeing Ange Darcy, my dear friend, soar in the role as Janis Joplin this summer and leave the Fringe audiences speechless.

What are your plans for the future?
To keep on striving to make great work! To excite audiences, to inspire people with stories which make us feel glad to be alive, and want to cherish that life, and change what we can. To tour GRIT to Canada and the wider world, to music Festivals. To tour other productions such as The Janis Joplin show which will return to the Fringe next Summer. To continue to create great strong roles for women, and keep redressing that balance!. To write another musical, get Glasgow Girls an International tour, to make another album, to make an album of Glasgow Girls, to get better at guitar! to develop the company, to write and direct my first film, to create an effective piece about FGM with the NTS next year. To evolve the company to have a reach across and beyond Scotland.

Buy a ticket for the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 13th December in Inverness Leisure, start time 7pm. You’ll have a great time!