Pitlochry Festival Theatre World Premiere: Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed
Pitlochry Festival Theatre: Studio One 12/06/24
Richard Baron director
Richard Baron and Ellie Zeegen writers
A co production between Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Firebrand Theatre Company in collaboration with Dr Kerri Andrews
Image copyright Estate of Nan Shepherd
I must confess that I did not know an awful lot about Nan Shepherd other than she was the woman on the banknote looking like a Wagnerian warrior. By the end of this terrific production, I wanted to know more. A woman after my own heart, although I do not walk. Not fond of the backpacks, and dreary gear and virtuous attitudes. Although I have many friends in the highlands who are keen walkers. But Nature is the thing for this city girl. One reason why we moved to the National Park.
What a woman she was. Rebellious, passionate about education, a modernist poet and a forerunner of women’s liberation. She reminded me of a lady (Miss Aitkin) who we lodged with in Frinton with the lads playing the tennis tournament. Eighty years old, independent saying, ‘No man is ever going to put me in a box.’
This play whizzes along engaging the audience in the delightful new studio theatre, even asking some to read aloud her writings. Switching from young to old, Irene Allen exudes energy, bringing to life the woman we grow to understand and admire. She moves around the space like a bird, climbing on an old desk, lying on the floor with her lover, and hobbling around in her old age. A terrific performance.
Playing various roles, with quickfire changes, exits and entrances, is David Rankine, a popular returnee to the ensemble. As part of a two-hander, he is again terrific, complementing Irene Allen’s playing of Nan perfectly. Initially I was thinking, ‘Oh no! A play about walking or cycling and how we did it with lots of special gear.’ But it turned out to be a journey of a free-thinking women whose masterpiece lay unpublished for most of her lifetime. Living in the same house, swimming naked in the lochs, caring for her mother, exploring nature on her own terms and inspiring her students to think differently. The set in the studio is deceptively simple but effective. A desk in which ‘The Living Mountain’ lay forgotten for years, a few chairs and a chalk board. In fact, several of the audience walked through it while taking their seats thinking the techies had forgotten to tidy up. The play, co- written and directed by Richard Baron, is now sold out for the rest of its run. It certainly has legs. If I could get a ticket, I would go again but I will have to make do with her writings. Bravo to Pitlochry for featuring two shows which celebrate exceptional women.
