I’m currently on a train from London to Edinburgh Waverley, where I will change trains and get another train to Markinch. From there I’ll get a taxi to nearby Buckhaven, where there’s a small old rep theatre. There’s a very old foyer with 70s living room decor (the only things it reminds me of is the foyer of the Jungendtheaterwerkstatt in Spandau & a novelty hot chocolate cafe in Munich), and dot matrix printed posters of an old production of Private Lives with tickets priced at £2. There’s also a chapel adjacent to the foyer, which I think only gets used at Easter and Christmas. The auditorium itself is fantastic - about 100 seats, shaped like a big cube, and an enormous stage for a theatre of that size. Collision Youth Theatre (a youth theatre working with young people from all over Central Scotland) are based there - they’ve made a fantastic production of Brad Birch’s new play for teenagers ‘The Blue Electric Wind’ that I’m helping to transfer to the Dorfman Theatre at the end of June. The production is visually and conceptually bold, influenced by Stranger Things and The Goonies, and beginning with a movement sequence set to the Top Gun theme tune.
I also visited last Monday - at the end of the rehearsal, I was the last person out of the auditorium (because I had two bags). And it feels full of ghosts: dodgy shows past and happy audiences in those seats. But when the stage is full - when the young people are warming up, led by their 19 year old assistant choreographer, currently studying dance at university, it feels alive. Full of nerves, awkward glances, and giggling. This is the only theatre company left in the area, but they’ve got imagination and bravery.
The Blue Electric Wind by Brad Birch, Fri 29th June 8.30pm Dorfman Theatre
CURRENTLY LISTENING: ‘Left Hand’ - Vital Idles (Upset the Rhythm)