Glasgow-based playwright Milly Sweeney brings her award-winning debut play Water Colour to Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre. This compelling production, directed by Sally Reid, delves into themes of mental illness and connection, offering a poignant exploration of young adult lives in Glasgow.
Water Colour won the St Andrews Playwriting Award 2024, a prestigious accolade that supports emerging playwrights in Scotland. The play features Molly Geddes and Ryan J Mackay, who bring the characters of Esme and Harris to life with their powerful performances.
Catch Water Colour at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 9 to 17 May and at Byre Theatre on 28 and 29 May.
You’re bringing Water Colour to Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre. What can you tell us about the show?
“Water Colour” is a play about Esme and Harris, two twenty-somethings living in Glasgow. They have a chance encounter on one of the bridges that crosses the Clyde, and this alters both of their lives in an unimaginable way. It’s a story about connection, mental health, and the potential of a stranger.
Water Colour won the St Andrews Playwriting Award 2024. How has this recognition impacted your career?
Winning the St Andrews Playwriting Award has opened so many doors for me as an emerging playwright. The Scottish theatre industry is all about knowing the right people, and as a result of “Water Colour” I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many different writers, producers and directors, that I hope to keep in contact with. I feel very, very lucky.
The play deals with themes of mental illness and connection. What inspired you to write about these topics?
I once had a therapist say to me that “the opposite of depression is connection” and it’s always stuck with me. We’re living in an incredibly disconnected reality, especially post-Covid, so it’s no wonder there’s a mental health crisis. And it’s obviously not as simple as that, there are many factors which can contribute to a decline in one’s mental health, but it’s a link I was really eager to explore.
How has working with director Sally Reid and the rest of the creative team influenced the development of the play?
Sally Reid is a real force in the Scottish theatre industry, so I was a bit starstruck to be working with her, to be honest! She offers such interesting insight into the characters and story, and is so good at articulating these things in a way I find enviable. As for Steve Lauder-Russel and the rest of the creative team, I’m constantly in awe of their creative visions and ability to make the play so visually stunning.
What do you hope audiences will take away from Water Colour?
I hope that it encourages people to be kinder to themselves and others. Help past and present sufferers of depression feel less alone. It’s been important to me throughout the entire creation of “Water Colour” that despite its serious subject matter, it is not a sob story. I want it to inspire and instil hope.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Water Colour?
Get those tickets! And bring the tissues. But also prepare for some surprisingly funny moments and cheeky Glaswegian humour. The cast is just excellent, so if you want to see some stellar acting, I recommend you come along.
Water Colour will premiere at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 9-17 May and then head to the Byre Theatre on 28 & 29 May
