Issy Cory
Insiders presents us with three characters, devised from the contributions from fourteen real-life Scottish prisoners. They take us through their daily lives, what ails them, and how they might live differently to what many in society assume.
We have a breadth of backgrounds and crimes, from young offender Craig, to fitness fanatic turned violent criminal Danny, and previous high-flyer Richard. Neighbours on a row of cells, their stories are punctuated by live music by Michael McMillan.
It is thrilling to see how Creative Expressions (a department within the Bethany Christian Trust) have used their story collection and transformed it into this undeniably insightful piece. Knowing that we are hearing truths through the mouths of our performers gives the script a truly authentic dimension.
The performances all carry an immense amount of sincerity, and we can tell that the cast care deeply about doing justice to the prisoners that have provided these accounts. Sean Connor, as Craig, steals the show. His troubled portrayal of Craig’s grievances is as compelling as it is, at times, heartbreaking.
Connor’s performance stands out particularly amongst the simplistic style of the piece. As creativity goes, there is little going on in Insiders. The absence of a director in the programme explains the absence of direction onstage, and the production is yearning for some theatricality.
With such beautiful music adorning the story, it seems a missed opportunity to not enact more storytelling during these interludes. Rather than standing or sitting still, it would have been worthwhile to see some more interactions between the characters to give us a more rounded sense of their relationships.
The religious aspect of the entire production is occasionally jarring. When religion is used in the narrative as a way to combat the loneliness and isolation that these men feel behind bars, it has a real poignancy. At other points, it feels shoe-horned in, risking alienating members of the audience who may not resonate with bible passages as readily as others.
Overall, Creative Expressions is doing vital work with Insiders. Theatre is the perfect vehicle to bring about important discussions around controversial subjects, to present characters that are otherwise misunderstood. Insiders brought about this conversation in a beautiful way.
Recommended Drink: Six cans of Irn-Bru.
Performances for Insiders have now concluded at EdFringe 2025.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
