Blackbird

Editorial

Fifteen years ago, when Ray was 40, he had a love affair with his neighbour, Una. She was 12 at the time, and he served several years in prison as a result. Relocated and attempting to build a new life, Ray - now Peter - is tracked down and confronted by Una in the factory where he works. The result is a desperate struggle to reconcile the aftermath of their relationship through a candid and provocative discussion of the past.

In conceiving the play, David Harrower was interested in presenting an uncensored dialogue of the characters' experiences, and the impact of these on their personal development, rather than acting as a spokesperson for ethical conduct. The play investigates public perceptions concerning abusers and the abused, and the recurring cycle of abuse that both suffer at the hands of society afterwards.

Harrower was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1966. His plays include Knives in Hens (1995), Kill the Old Torture Their Young (1998), and The Chrysalids (1999), an adaptation of the John Wyndham novel. Blackbird, commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, premiered in 2005.

Lawrence Bull