by Margaret Chrystall

by Margaret Chrystall

It was good to see Dogstar Theatre Company’s new play sold out for every show in its three-night run at Eden Court last week.

Slightly earlier last year, Dogstar had jointly set up the Spark Festival there which encouraged young theatre-makers and playwrights to stretch their wings with seminars and workshops and scratch readings of new plays.

It was good to tap into the exciting places the young Highland theatre generation are headed. And The Vivid Roots Collective’s second festival in the autumn also ran insight workshops and seminars and had a range of scratch performances to let ideas fly. Most recently, the North group has sent out a request for performers in Scotland who want to collaborate on research and development for a new piece of theatre.

But for the long-established Dogstar – set up around 26 years ago – the work also continues to march on.

At the start of 2024 the company talked about their plan to finally present The Testament Of Gideon Mack – the 2006 Booker-longlisted Scottish novel by James Robertson.

“When I first read the novel, I could see it on stage,” Dogstar artistic director Matthew Zajac told Radio 4 Front Row presenter Kirsty Wark when interviewed a few weeks ago before the opening.

Dogstar knew early last year that they had funding from Creative Scotland for a Scottish tour of the new play adapted by Zajac from James Robertson’s book. Company successes last year included new George Gunn play The Fallen Angels Of The Moine – and they mention in the current programme many “would not have been possible without the support of Creative Scotland”.

But sadly, Dogstar also notes, it is “a very sad irony … however” that given the part the arts body has played in Dogstar’s recent projects, it failed to give the company the three-year core funding they had hoped for at the end of January. Dogstar notes it was the fifth time they had applied unsuccessfully for the funding in the last 18 years.

That failure to grant the funds is baffling to anyone who has watched the vibrant theatre company continue to experiment and also to tackle politically-aware, cutting edge topics – such as Hamish Macdonald’s Factor 9 in 2014 about the infected blood scandal. Dogstar has also made it a mission over its lifetime so far to travel and work abroad, from collaborating with European and Scandinavian companies to presenting work on stages from New York to Poland, Ukraine to Australia, and regularly tours across Scotland.

But it was good to see Dogstar’s loyal local audience give their backing by filling every seat of the OneTouch at Eden Court on Thursday night for the new play’s Inverness opening and sellouts for the remaining two performances. Interest piqued by the chance to witness this book brought to the stage, the play set in a familiar region of Northern Scotland, and brought to this stage, by this company? Possibly.

James Robertson’s story forces us to look at faith through the eyes of the fictional community of Monimaskit, and the play asks us questions about what happens when strangely supernatural phenomena set the kirk’s minister astray.

Maybe The Testament Of Gideon Mack lands at a timely moment in uncertain times, from Scotland to the UK, America to the world. Belief and love and what they mean – even religion itself – the timing from Dogstar is devastatingly apt.

But there is also something satisfyingly timeless about all the questions raised by a minister who doesn’t believe in God, then meets the Devil.

Gideon Mack grows up the son of minister James (Matthew Zajac also playing the Devil), planning to become a teacher and kicking against his father’s restrictive, religious household.

There’s a memorable scene where young Gideon sneakily watches Batman on the forbidden Sunday, to his father’s fury.

Later, James reminds his son that humanity exists to worship God.

“Happiness! What is happiness but the flicker of a struck match in the vast expanse of God’s creation,” James warns Gideon and then-girlfriend Jenny.

But Gideon decides to become a minister, even though he has no faith.

James Robertson’s modern classic Scottish novel knowingly taps into the spirit of James Hogg’s Justified Sinner and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde, while setting his story of a Church of Scotland minister’s contemporary struggles almost up to date.

Gideon is a “baby boomer”, as Zajac pointed out in his Radio 4 interview. It’s a generation that has abandoned religion, so maybe it is no surprise that Gideon doesn’t believe in God. But it is still surprising that he chooses to follow in his father James’ footsteps to become a Church of Scotland minister.

It is fascinating watching him coming up against the Devil who rescues him when he falls into the Monimaskit gorge called the Black Jaws and stays there for three days recovering.

The episode splits through the play and the conversation is at its heart.

“I get so bored. I like playing with people’s minds,” confesses Zajac’s chilling Fallen Angel.

Kevin Lennon plays keen runner Gideon who takes his faithlessness into his marriage, wrestles with his life, the odd miracle and revelation, but is made easy to like by the actor. The cast of eight present everyone from Gideon’s wife Jenny (Blythe Jandoo) to sceptical charity run sponsor Macinnes (Antony Strachan)

Having written the play as a polished and faithful interpretation of the book, Matthew Zajac has honoured the busy story, as the playwright, and also plays around with time and the order of events to dramatic effect.

Yet it’s as the actor that audiences are likely to remember him best. Zajac makes a chilling Devil who will haunt their dreams with his strangely caring, friendly manner, contained bubbling anger and sense of regret. He is a Devil who could be your pal. He is a Devil who can melt your bones…

The production from director Meghan de Chastelain creates an unsettling world from writer Robertson’s imagination from the moment the opening mist rises on the stage as Adrian O’Rourke’s eerie violin drone and the watery roar of the soundscape shivers down your spine.

Radio with cast voices is used to set the scene of the times – Ravenscraig closing, AIDS, Margaret Thatcher’s second term.

Kenneth MacLeod’s design nails the elusive standing stone that is described in the book as “a fossilised ice-lolly”, created for Gideon.

“If no-one sees it, is it there?” asks the Devil wryly.

Both the creative and production team have worked hard to make it stay in your mind’s-eye.

Maybe it’s time to look again at belief. A recent article pointed out that Gen Z are the least likely generation to call themselves atheist, with a “resurgence of faith” among some …

For old or young, the play is an absorbing chance to watch a man in search of faith run towards the edge of eternity – and a gloriously Scottish stage experience.

The Testament Of Gideon Mack now tours to Stornoway (Feb 18-19); Stirling (Feb 21); Dumfries (Feb 22); Giffnock (Feb 26); St Andrews (Feb 27); Kirkcaldy (Feb28); Greenock (Mar 5); Edinburgh (Mar 6-8); Ayr (Mar 12); Dundee (Feb 13-14. For venues, tickets and details: http://www.dogstartheatre.co.uk