Power Rangers toys for Christmas, arguments over sweets, Mum forcing you to do maths revision – the stuff of family life, the stuff of memories.
Serving your dying father his last Guinness.
Woodcutter, an autobiographical play by Lioness actor John Anthony Gorman about returning to Glasgow to clear out the family home following the death of his parents, has resonated deeply with audiences at this year’s Fringe.
A powerful piece of new writing it puts Glasgow family life to the fore, earning a string of four-star reviews from Theatre and Tonic, Binge Fringe and One4Review.
Woodcutter is a raw, intimate, funny and rich with reflections on Glaswegian Catholic family life.
John Anthony’s parents, John and Ann, ran The Woodcutter Bar in Motherwell for half a century. And after spending his own summers working behind the bar he headed off to build a new life in New York as a stage and screen actor (and has appeared alongside the likes of Nicole Kidman).
Woodcutter also has a directness that’s compelling. Gorman is packing boxes, wondering what to do with things like crosses and rosary beads, all the time addressing the removals men who are failing to help – that’s the audience.
Gorman said: “After my parents died and our family home was packed up and sold, I found myself isolated by grief, seeking the sense of home I had lost.
“My wife Mickele encouraged me to share my experiences as a one-man show, and The Woodcutter is the result.
“I realised that what makes a true home is not the four walls, it’s the people. The memories, the celebrations, watching your team score the winning goal, but it’s also all the shit, getting through the hard times and never giving up on each other, even when it gets ugly.
“That’s the ‘home’ that lives in me now, that shaped me. While the story is uniquely mine, it’s also everyone’s. We all face the death of our loved ones and making peace with it in our own way.”
- Gorman has found success in the USA, appearing in TV shows such as NBC’s The Blacklist, and alongside Nicole Kidman in Paramount’s Lioness, as well as Disney’s Daredevil: Born Again. His recent Off-Broadway credits include: The Parlour (The Rattlestick Theater) and Nowhere Man (Theatre for the New City).
-Ends-
Creative team
- Performer: John Anthony Gorman
- Writers: Mickele Hogan & John Anthony Gorman
- Director: Mickele Hogan
- Produced by: Lifewise Productions
Listings details
The Woodcutter
- Venue: Triplex Studio @theSpaceUK (Venue 38)
- Time: 16:05
- Dates: Aug 7-9 (preview), 11-15, 18-22, 25-29
- Duration: 50 mins
- Prices: Full price £12, concession £9. Preview £10 full, £8 concession
- Age: 18+
- Tickets: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
About John Anthony Gorman
John was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He began acting after tearing his ACL while pursuing a career as a Professional Golfer. While recovering, he saw an ad for an acting school in Scotland and thought, “fuck it, I’ll give that a try.”
He moved to NYC and studied at the Atlantic Acting School. Since then he has appeared in TV shows such as “The Blacklist” on NBC, “Lioness” alongside Nicole Kidman on Paramount+ and recently appeared in “Daredevil: Born Again” on Disney+. His recent Off- Broadway credits include: The Parlour (The Rattlestick Theater) and Nowhere Man (Theatre for the New City.) John dedicates this performance to his wife, his sons John Paul and Malcolm, and his parents. See www.johnanthonygorman.com.
About Mickele Hogan
Mickele is playwright and performer originally from Omaha, Nebraska. She moved to NYC and graduated from NYU: Tisch. Her most notable play, Mourning the Living, received its world premiere in the Thespis Theater Festival (2016) and continued off-Broadway at Abingdon’s Dorothy Strelsin Theater (2017). Her short works have been featured at the Actor’s Temple, The Producer’s Club, Atlantic’s Stage 2, Walkerspace and 13th St. Repertory Theater. Her unproduced pilot “Caregivers” was a finalist in the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition (2019). Her performing credits include: The Velveteen Rabbit (Linda Gross Theater), Xanadu (Holland Center), The Love of the Nightingale and The Rules (Alchemical Theater). Her recent film credits include: “Dust in Flame” “Descent,” and “The Artifice. See https://mickelehogan.com.
Media contact: Matthew Shelley, SFPR, 07786 704299 Matthew@Scottishfestivalspr.org
