Concerned Others at the Anatomy Lecture Theatre Summerhall Edinburgh*****
While theatre can be magical it is not always about being entertained. It can also, of course, open our minds to new experiences.
And occasionally a production comes along that leaves you in awe, knowing the difference it could make to society.
The image above is a street, any street. But it isn’t. It’s a miniature town created by award-winning theatre company Tortoise in a Nutshell for an extraordinary show about the impact of substance dependence and drug-related death. It only lasts for 50 minutes but at the end of it I walked away feeling the impact of a mighty production.
To be honest, I only went along because Tortoise in a Nutshell works out of a community centre along the road from me in North Edinburgh and I wanted to support my neighbour. Never did I think they, or anyone, especially on a low budget, could create such an imaginative and important piece of theatre.
Using beautifully made and intricate 32mm figurines, shoebox style installations, turntables, micro-projection and immersive soundscapes, just one man, Alex Bird, delves into the hopes and reflections of care givers, healthcare professionals and policy makers living with substance dependency in a nation struggling to recognise a deadly culture of shame, ignorance and misunderstanding. Of course, the magic of theatre is still there. Alex is indeed a wizard, at the beginning drawing little more than matchstick men who then become alive, running to what we hope will be a brighter future.
Tortoise in a Nutshell created Concerned Others in response to the report that Scotland has the most drug-related deaths in Europe, and ended the show by inviting people whose lives have been affected by substance abuse and bereavement, to talk about their experiences, the people who, until Concerned Others, have been underheard.
Hopefully, now, this show will get the exposure it, and the underheard, deserves.
Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, Glasgow, G34 9JW.
Thursday 15 October 2026.
Evening: 7pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Eastgate Theatre, Eastgate, Peebles EH45 8AD.
Saturday 17 October 2026.
Evening: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Grangemouth Town Hall, Bo’ness Road, Grangemouth FK3 8AN.
Monday 19-Tuesday 20 October 2026.
Mon: 7.30pm; Tue: 2pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Paisley Art Centre, Paisley, 15 New St, Paisley PA1 1EZ.
Sunday 25 October 2026.
Evening: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
The Barn, Burn O Bennie, Banchory AB31 5QA.
Friday 30 October 2026.
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
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