End of the Line

This was a new venture for this group in two ways – a site specific project and a promenade performance. The play was devised to “celebrate” the closure of the Inverurie Locomotive Works on 31 December 1969 - the venue was once part of the engineering works. We were taken by the talented cast from the signing of the contract to build the works in 1898 to the opening in 1902 and then to it’s heyday in 1944 where we were introduced to some of the men and apprentices – particularly to George (Scott Sambrook) who we see on his first day and follow throughout the piece. We next encountered a group of Colony women (Alison Sandison, Pamela Green, Imogen Vickers , Alex Kelman and Arwen Scott) gossiping as they hung out their washing and beat their carpets on the balcony of their homes – a salacious bunch of women! Moving upstairs we see the young men (Bruce Baillie, Greg Stewart, Scott Sambrook, Josh Simpson, Andrew Saunders and Mikey Nicol) getting ready to go to the local dance. We are then introduced to the The Tait Girls (Olivia Watt, Ruby Harrison, Imogen Watt, Emily Brown, Molly Robertson, Rowan Gane and Eilidh Swanston) – a saucy bunch of lassies who work in the local paper mill -  as they discuss what they are going to wear to the dance (and who they might pair up with!) Moving back downstairs the groups of young men and women meet up and proceed to the dance hall where music of the 40’s was played by a local band (Saxophonist Greg Stewart, Drummer Bruce Baillie, Pianist Ashley Forbes, Singers Alex Kelman and Imogen Vickers and Fiddlers Imogen Vickers and Alison Sandison). As was usual at such affairs the women danced with each other while the men stood around the edge of the hall looking uncomfortable until the shy Fred (Greg Stewart) plucked up the courage to ask Nancy (Imogen Watt) to dance and proceeded to woo her by telling her he was “seeking a wife and a hoose” to which her reply of “which am I – the wife or the hoose?” elicited a roar of laughter from the audience. The piece ended with a depiction of the demonstrations held against the closure of the works in 1969 with the cast parading round the room with placards and being assured by the local politicians represented by Mr Davidson (Josh Simpson) that everything would be done to secure new jobs for the area – nothing seems to change in that respect. Good use was made of the artefacts in the Heritage Centre as backdrops to the scenarios and of audio visual projections of the loco works and archive news footage of the demonstrations. This was another excellent evening by this group being both entertaining and informative. Well done everyone!

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