Our first production was staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 1996 and featured Sue Townsend’s one-act ‘Womberang’. This extremely funny yet touching piece is set in the waiting room of a clinic for ‘women’s problems’. Following the arrival of the anarchic Rita Onions things go from bad to worse. A great little play for a mixed cast of ten it was directed by Rob Mackean.

The next year saw us move up to two plays with a strong drama in the Spring and Shakespeare at the Fringe a pattern we have continued with some success.

The Reginald Rose drama ‘Twelve Angry Men’ staged both here in Edinburgh and at The Wynd Theatre in Melrose met with much acclaim. A powerful piece set in the steaming hot jury room of a New York Court in the Fifties it is a tale of prejudice, tension and goodness whilst the life of the accused is in the hands of the jurors. This strong, all-male ensemble, featuring the finest of Edinburgh’s non-professional actors, was directed by Carole Owen.

Fringe 1997 brought one of the Bard’s favourite plays ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to a dream setting (albeit with nightmare acoustics), the stunning St. Stephen’s Church in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. A piece suitable for all ages the magic of the play was highlighted by the huge venue and dramatic stained glass windows which surrounded the acting space and the play moved from light to dark almost in real time giving a magical effect. The acoustics proved a problem however and sadly we had to look for a new venue for the next year. The ‘Dream’ was directed by Rob Mackean.

In common with ‘Twelve Angry Men’ the play for Spring 1998 was also made into a movie. This time it was John Pielmeier’s piece 'Agnes of God'. A very strong and moving play about the death of a new born baby in a convent the subject matter was both spiritual and secular. The piece also contained strong references to child abuse as well as the theme of Divine intervention. All together a dramatic evening brought to life by an outstanding cast of Val Lennie, Emma Davidson and Carol Davidson directed by Carole Owen.

The Fringe ’98 play was ‘Twelfth Night’ and we were extremely fortunate to gain access to the magnificent church building in central Edinburgh which is home to St. Paul’s & St. George’s Church in York Place. The small hall attached had been the site of our first production in 1996 however the main Church now acted as home to our staging of one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies. A sparkling cast, including a truly sleazy Malvolio from Alan Jeffreys, gave audiences an evening of action as well as laughs. The play was directed by Rob Mackean.

Our Spring 1999 production was directed by Hilary Strong, at that time the director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and now in charge at the Greenwich Theatre, London. She chose Frank Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ which was staged at the Pleasance. The large cast had a great challenge to reproduce the epic journey across the Dust Bowl of America and gave a moving performance of this super play.

Fringe 1999 completed our trio of the main Shakesperian comedies with ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. This lively production directed by Rob Mackean played to large houses and was well received. The spirited presentation, headed by Nikki Masterton and Cameron Stephen as Beatrice and Benedick, was added to with lively music and dance sung, arranged and choreographed by Sarah Barron, Helen Nix and Suzanne Senior. A sparkling production with two very feminine looking watchmen!

Year 2000 saw us step back to 1860 with a great play, Sue Glover’s ‘Bondagers’, the story of women on the great Border farms of the 19^th Century. This funny, moving and ultimately tragic piece was directed by Carole Owen and once again toured to Melrose after Edinburgh. The cast of six women took us to the very heart of this story and left audiences deeply moved.

Our most recent play was at the Fringe in August 2000. This time Rob Mackean again chose Shakespeare however moved from comedy to tragedy with the greatest of love stories 'Romeo and Juliet'. This tragic tale was ideal for the atmospheric venue and Danielle Farrow and Ross Camidge gave moving performances in the lead roles ably supported by a large cast. The play was staged in a very traditional manner with period costumes and music giving audiences an all too rare chance to see it staged in this way.

2001

Each evening at 6.15p.m., Phil Barnes performed Stephen Dinsdale's monologue 'Anorak of Fire'. 

This one act play is the life of trainspotter extraordinaire Gus Gascoigne. The ultimate anorak, Gus lives for trainspotting with hilarious results. This witty, observant play produces in turn moments of manic humour and touching sadness. It was directed by John Lally.