The first-ever season of lunchtime theatre in Inverness has taken the audience on quite a journey; from lost gloves to brothels, from magical puppetry to strong dialects then Russian actors. And the journey doesn’t stop yet as the final Play Pieces shows expects to take the audience on another exciting mystery tour!

Garry, a taxi driver, finds himself a star of a new television series tracing the family trees of ordinary people. The problem is, once the genealogy is out the bottle, there’s no putting it back. Modern DNA matching techniques mean that Garry has been able to trace his family origins back to a particular pile of stones on a particular Highland hillside.

Garry asks the question: where are we all from? And to answer it, he takes us on a journey from the origins of the universe, to the bogs of Ach na Fluich. This is a journey not short of detours or diversions, guided by a man preoccupied by the search for his true identity. Interestingly, this show has been sponsored by the Centre for Health Science in Inverness which is appropriate due to it’s research into biology and science, all of which are touched on in this drama.

Regulars of Play Pieces will be delighted to see Garry Collins returning to the stage as the hero of this drama. Collins drew a lot of laughs during his performance last month in ‘Swan Song’ so expect more of the same on Saturday 12 November. This show is presented by Right Lines Productions, writer Euan Martin said “Dave and I were delighted when the idea for Play Pieces was first circulated – and we were motivated to find the right piece to submit.  We were also keen to write something new and something specifically for Garry Collins.  He was involved in a community project in Elgin with Right Lines a couple of years ago and we have wanted to work with him again since then.  As often happens, inspiration arrived unexpectedly, this time in the form of a newspaper article about “Ancestral Tourism”.  This set us thinking about genealogy, DNA, family relationships, Highland history, the origins of the universe – that kind of thing – and all of a sudden, we had the outline of a show!”

Although this is the final Play Pieces show of 2011, coordinator and producer Lindsay Dunbar is hopeful it will return. “The audience response as been terrific. Some people wanted it to continue throughout the winter but I’m going to focus on planning for next year and who knows, maybe we will come back with a few changes, but ultimately always great theatre.”

‘Blood from a Stone’ is on Saturday 12 November at the Ironworks, Inverness. Doors open 1pm and the play starts at 1.30pm. Tickets are £10 and includes lunch. ‘Blood from a Stone will also be performed at Moray Arts Centre in Findhorn at 7.30pm on the same day, Tickets – £8, or £5 concession including a glass of wine or soft drink!.

More information on all the Play Pieces shows can be found at www.playpieces.co.uk

More information on Right Lines can be found at www.rightlines.net

Source: Play Pieces