The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A Six Inch Layer of Topsoil and The Fact It Rains
Various venues, until May 19
Agriculture is so ubiquitous in Perthshire that it’s taken for granted on a daily basis.
However, these are uncertain times for the people who live on the sprawling county’s land as Brexit ushers in inevitable changes.
Perth Theatre’s latest play gives voice to Perthshire’s rural population, capturing hopes and fears as the wider world marches on relentlessly.
A Six Inch Layer opened last night at Perth Theatre’s new rehearsal room and starts a county-wide tour at Aberfeldy Town Hall on Wednesday, also stopping off at Birnam, Crieff, Blair Atholl, Alyth, Blairgowrie and Kinross.
A collaboration between Perth’s artistic director Lu Kemp and award-winning Scottish playwright Kieran Hurley, the play’s title derives from a proverb attributed to the Farm Equipment Association of Minnesota and South Dakota.
Lu says the pair drove Perthshire’s length and breadth to gather material, interviewing farmers, migrant workers, environmentalists, land owners, rural activists and countryside dwellers.
“I’ve lived most of my adult life in Glasgow, so it was a great way of getting to know the area and having a sense of the people here,” she explains.
“It’s been a really lovely thing to do, and there’s a tradition of theatre that’s made this way through conversations.
“The farming community is an incredibly tight community – everybody knows everybody because everybody shares everything.”
The play has a cast of just two actors, Melody Grove and Aly Macrae, with the latter also responsible for the show’s colourful musical mix of traditional and original songs.
Lu is confident the show has the versatility required for a touring schedule, and says she’s looking forward to hearing people’s views.
“You get a really different reaction from the audience at community venues,” she says.
“If you’re in their space they treat it very differently. The actors step off stage and there’s nowhere for them to go, so everybody just stays and chats.
“It’ s totally different to the formality that sometimes kicks in with theatre where there’s a separation between stage and audience. I really enjoy that I can just have a drink with them at the end.”
Lu believes the prospect of B rex it makes the piece’s arrival timely, but stresses it’s also a warm, light-hearted evening out.
“The shape of farming’ s going to change when we leave the EU so we want to have a conversation with people about a topic that’s relevant to them, and sing a few songs at the same time,” she says.
“I hope people will go away and chat about it because there are so many contradictory opinions in the show and that’s how it works.”