Heritage

Written by playwright Nicola Mccartney for Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre when she was 26, Heritage is about people bringing an old identity to a new land. Set in Saskatchewan from 1914 to 21, it is about two families of Irish expats holding onto sectarian divisions. It’s the familiar Irish tale of Protestant girl meets Catholic boy, the twist being that they’re an ocean away from the country where those labels might appear to mean something. In the absence of direct experience, they fashion an Irish mythology to their own liking.

Born in Northern Ireland to nonpracticing Protestant parents, with both orangemen and nationalists in the family, Mccartney was keen to highlight the absurdity of people forging an identity based on myth – especially when that identity can have such deadly consequences.

Joining the summer repertory season at Pitlochry, the play is staged by Richard Baron in its first UK production in 20 years. You can see Mccartney’s latest play, How Not To Drown, a collaboration with former child refugee Dritan Kastrati, at Edinburgh’s Traverse on the Fringe. Pitlochry Festival Theatre, 25 July–26 September, 01796 484626

Joyce Mcmillan