The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Saints celebration a story of our time
“I’m not hugely into football, except my son plays, so I do watch a lot of it,” says Lorna Craig, one of the cast of Perth Theatre’s new play Oh When The Saints, a unique and unexpected collaboration with the city’s football club, St Johnstone.
“But I am so into it now we’ve been doing the show, that my husband thinks he’s got a football wife. ‘Aw no, you’re off to the football?’ ”
It’s a play that unites two of Perth’s most important institutions.
Oh When The Saints has been in the planning between writer Martin Mccormick, the theatre’s artistic director Lu Kemp and actor and Saints fan Colin Mccredie for some time now, first through community discussion events and visits to the theatre by sports stars, including players from the club and Perth curler Eve Muirhead.
“I play Wendy Bell,” says actor Greer Montgomery.
“The story centres around a family, and I play the daughter. Tom Mcgovern is Del, my dad, and Colin Mccredie is my uncle Bobby.
“Wendy is 16 years old, she’s a quick-witted young football hopeful who’s trying to gain a bit more independence as she launches her football career.
“Along the way, she questions her commitment to St Johnstone and finds out more about the relationship with her dad.”
Craig’s character Helen, meanwhile, is an outsider to football and to the family.
“I don’t want to say too much about Helen, because her story emerges throughout the play,” says Craig.
“She’s had some difficult times, but she meets Colin’s character, Bobby, somewhere quite random, and they end up spending the day together.
“It’s a bit of a rollercoaster day for both, and a big journey for Helen.”
As well as the quartet of actors, a community cast of 40 (actually two casts of 20) will be on stage at all times.
“They act as football fans, but also as the character of Bobby’s inner thoughts, they’re with him for this whole journey,” says Montgomery.
“They’re on stage the entire time, so they’ve got a lot to do, and when they came into rehearsals it was like a character that was missing.
“I wouldn’t have met half of the community cast if I hadn’t done the show, people from all different walks of life, all from Perth.
“That’s another thing that’s great about the show, that it’s a show about people from Perth and it’s set in the city.
“That’s something I’m very excited about.”
“It’s about community,” says Craig, “and although we’re specifically talking about Saints, the club is such an important part of Perth’s community.
“For people who are not interested in that, it’s about family and connection with each other. It’s about celebrating together, and those big moments when you’re all focused on the same thing.
“That feeling of togetherness, it’s like when you go to a concert or festival, isn’t it?
“We’re all pulling for the same thing, and we’re all excited feeling those emotions together.
“You’ll feel that in the show, because there’s loads of music and chants and drums.
“You really will feel it in your body here – I think it’s going to be a really powerful night.”
Oh When The Saints is at Perth Theatre until Saturday June 18. www.horsecross.co.uk