‘Allotment’ – a Nutshell play in a Corrie garden

Review by Sarah Cook

On Saturday 9th June Nutshell Theatre Company brought their award-winning play, ‘Allotment’, to Arran. Undeterred by the midges and refreshed by tea and scones, around fifty folk were entertained by a touching tale of sibling rivalry and affection performed by two actors in an allotment – in this case Heather and Stuart Gough’s garden.

The play tells the story of two sisters and their lives spent together tending their vegetables, sharing memories and squabbling. There are strict rules – no flowers and no visitors. The sisters see the world outside the garden as a threatening place, full of men who do unspeakable things to you and children who are unruly and will trample your veggie beds.

Performed entirely within the vegetable garden, the world beyond was skilfully conjured up through the actors’ actions and words describing the view from the top of the shed or the arrival of a regular passer-by. There were delightful moments of comedy, pathos and tension – sometimes changing in a breath as the relationship between the sisters unfolded. As the characters grew from girls to young women and on into old age the actors subtly altered their voices and movements to suggest their different ages.

The set and costumes were deceptively simple – a shed, a ladder, some veggie beds and garden tools, a selection of hats, aprons and jumpers and, of course, Teddy and Sindy. Each prop or costume was used to great effect to enhance the telling of the story or to reveal some aspect of the characters’ relationship.

Charming, occasionally unsettling and ultimately touching, ‘Allotment’ was a pleasure to experience. It was a real treat to have such high quality professional theatre brought to Arran.