Bringing Worlds to Life by Jamie Mein

Writing a play can be very arduous and quite lonely. By the time the final draft is written I’m usually sick of my own words having read them over again and again, agonising over whether “that line is funny enough?” and wondering “does that line convey the message I’m trying to put across?” Eventually I can’t even begin to look at it. But all that changes at the first readthrough when actors give voice to my characters and the words leap off the page, afresh and anew. Their deliveries and interpretations are often not what I heard in my head, but better. And while some writers may be very protective of their written work, there’s nothing I love more when someone comes up with an ad-lib which not only improves upon my original script, but is perfectly in-character for the personalities I’ve created.

The whole thing is very surreal. Hearing people and scenarios I’ve conjured living and breathing in front of me, the people who lived in my head now taking on lives off their own. The world that was initially just mine in my head is now inhabited by a group of actors. This world is now shared, its ours. The whole thing intensifies when it’s put before an audience and they also become part of that world. A world that was initially just mine, in my head, but is now shared among more and more people and (partially thanks to some excellent technicians) is becoming more vivid than I could ever have imagined. Maybe I’m a bit up myself but I think this is pure magic.

But how does this happen? I could easily sit typing away to my heart’s content but my world would never escape my head if it didn’t have the means to do so. That’s where DunsPlayFest comes in. For some miraculous reason, the wee county of Berwickshire and its surrounding parts is brimming with playwrights and other theatrical types. So what better place could there be to host a nine-day festival of theatre? Of course it’s not just theatre, it’s music, workshops, storytelling, poetry, film, talks, and, most importantly, scran. But the clue’s in the name: DunsPlayFest, and throughout the nine days we’re hosting (if my Maths is correct) thirty-eight new plays by a mix of seasoned theatremakers, early career professionals, and local community artists.

Impressive for a toon with a population of around 3,000, isn’t it? Over the past six years our reach has expanded from just Borders-based artists to people bringing their plays from all over Scotland and beyond. We like to think that DunsPlayFest is slowly beginning to become cemented as part of Scotland’s annual theatrical calendar. This is starting to happen since this year, as in previous years, we have many artists coming to test out their shows in Duns before taking them to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe as well as artists bringing hits from last year’s Fringe to a Berwickshire audience. Even so, if our place in the calendar isn’t quite as established as we’d like it to be quite yet, we’re very happy to just be bringing high-quality theatre to the community of Berwickshire. After all, theatre is vital and every community should have access to it, and while our community doesn’t have an actual theatre building itself, we’re very happy to be filling that gap.

All of this couldn’t happen without our visionary director John McEwen, our superhuman producer Sara Best, our brilliant board of trustees, and our amazing team of volunteers. Thank you. And of course huge gratitude has to go to Creative Scotland and all of our other funders for their continued support.

Tickets for this year’s DunsPlayFest are on sale now! Of course I’m going to self-indulgently promote my own bonkers world, The Red Lion: The Final Chapter (12:30 on Saturday the 9th May, with FREE STOVIES!) but if you have a browse through our programme at least one of the thirty-eight worlds being brought to life is sure to tickle your fancy. Join us at the Volunteer Hall from the 1st to the 9th May. We’re bringing brand new theatre to the Borders!