Laura Valerie Walker and Sophie Wink have much to be proud of. Their company, Vivid Roots Collective, were instrumental in bringing The Wound, the Rag & the In-Between to Eden Court on 4th May. The ambition was to provide opportunities, with support, to early-career artists from the Highlands.

As the title suggests The Wound, the Rag & the In-Between tackles a wide range of subjects; including suicide, honour killing, the environment and emigration. There are numerous strands to this ambitious script. The story is told in two time zones which interact towards the end of the play. We follow the story of three young Victorians whose lives are researched by a journalist who has returned home and is reunited with an old friend. 

Playwright Annie MacDonald provides lively dialogue and well-drawn characters. Her obvious love of folklore helps in the creation of the evocative set and costumes realised by Claire MacDonald. The tree trunk stretching skywards with its many branches hung with colourful rags is reminiscent of Tibetan Prayer flags. The lighting by Daniel Pirie adds to the atmosphere. Although no sound designer is credited the eerie call of the Merlin echoes throughout. 

The relationship between Rosemary MacDonald as Mairead and Poppy Charteris as Helena is central to the play. Mairead, whose calm and focussed behaviour perfectly offsets the unquenchable joy so evident in Charteris’ performance. This duo are the driving force. The love story between Tiger Mitchell’s Torquil and Helena is underwritten. Learning more about this forbidden love between aristocrats and commoners could add jeopardy. 

The modern-day friends, Cindy Amor’s Lubna and Megan MacDonald’s Niamh have a lot of information to convey. Amor’s journalist uncovers the ancient story while dealing with her homecoming and the teasing and eventual tragedy in the life of her friend Niamh. These two frame and recount the tale. 

Several monologues interrupt the action. The opening monologue is about pain, later ones are about hope and grief. Although well written these seem unnecessary and bring to mind the adage ‘show don’t tell’. Interaction between characters is more compelling.  

Overall, this is a successful first production and it is hoped that this one performance will not be the last. 

At Eden Court, Inverness