Linlithgow players set to take centre stage again with al fresco shows

Live theatre in Linlithgow is due to return, with an outdoor production lined up at an exciting new venue for the Linlithgow Players.
Linlithgow Players' cast members in rehearsal - front row from left to right, Sue Vizard, Liz Drewett and Serena Casburn Jones.  Back row Sue Spencer (in hat) and Thérèse Gallacher.Linlithgow Players' cast members in rehearsal - front row from left to right, Sue Vizard, Liz Drewett and Serena Casburn Jones.  Back row Sue Spencer (in hat) and Thérèse Gallacher.
Linlithgow Players' cast members in rehearsal - front row from left to right, Sue Vizard, Liz Drewett and Serena Casburn Jones. Back row Sue Spencer (in hat) and Thérèse Gallacher.

Their al fresco theatre event on September 3 and 4 at Bonnytoun Farm is an hour long double bill of The Allotment, a one act play by Gillian Plowman, and Wild Swim by Martha Watson Allpress.

“We’ve performed outdoors many times in recent years so hoped this would be a fun and audience-friendly way to emerge from lockdown,” said Player’s chairwoman Liz Drewett.

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“We explored a number of ideal locations around the town before deciding on the ‘hidden allotment’ at Bonnytoun Farm.

"It’s a beautiful spot and our hosts could not have been more welcoming.”

The Allotment is a mix of humour and drama in which four colourful characters with a past they’d rather forget, bond over their trowels and spades. When a fifth woman joins them, they are made to confront reality with unexpected results.

In Wild Swim, Lauren is persuaded to plunge into a frosty, muddy lake as a way of re-connecting with her Mum.

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“It’s a beautifully written, emotional piece that manages to explore loss with humour and is ultimately joyful and life-affirming,” said Liz.

“I also get the enviable job of performing it in a swimming costume in a field!”

The performances will take place on Friday, September 3 at 6pm and Saturday, September 4 at 2pm and 6pm.

Tickets (50 per performance) are available via the Linlithgow Players’ website www.linlithgowplayers.org.uk. If you can’t buy online, phone 07849 448999 to reserve tickets.

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This amateur production of The Allotment is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. The amateur production of Wild Swim is by arrangement with Nick Hern Books from the collection Isolated But Open, commissioned by the Papatango Theatre Company.

The Linlithgow Players are an amateur drama group with 25 members, who perform throughout the year in Linlithgow and sometimes beyond. Traditionally, before Covid, the group would perform a pantomime every January, a play in the Spring, short plays in the summer at Linlithgow Palace and a Plays and Wine event in October.

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