Epic fishing drama sails into Edinburgh

Inspired by the loss of her fisherman father, Young’s personal tribute to the fishing communities of Scotland is directed by Ian Brown, former artistic director of the Traverse Theatre.

A storm is brewing in a small fishing village. A young woman returns home, searching for answers about her father’s death. But as she begins to weave together the strands of her past, a mysterious force unravels family secrets.

Lost at Sea journeys through a labyrinth of myth and memory in an epic tale spanning forty years of the fishing industry.

Featuring the voices of fishermen and their families in their own words, with music, songs and Scots language, Lost at Sea is the lyrical and powerfully evocative story of a North-East fishing family.

An all-Scottish cast of well-known faces includes Tam Dean Burn as the Skipper.

He is joined on stage by Gerry Mulgrew, Kim Gerrard, Ali Craig, Helen McAlpine, Andy Clark, Sophia McLean, Thoren Ferguson and Jennifer Black.

With much of Scotland being a stone’s throw from a fishing community, Lost at Sea shines a new and unique light on what is still the UK’s most dangerous profession. It explores universal themes of loss, family, community and the challenges facing traditional industries.

Young says, “Lost at Sea is a play that has existed in my mind for my whole life.

“My fisherman father was lost when I was a child; his body never recovered.

“This story is echoed throughout fishing villages around the coast, the impact of loss scarring communities for decades.

“I wanted to pay tribute to these men and their families. I wanted to write these voices that I’d never seen on stage.

“The play spans 40 years of the fishing industry, the story told chorally by one family and the surrounding community.

“Fishing is still the most dangerous job in the world during peacetime - there is 50 times more risk of being killed than in any other profession.

“It’s a subject that has never been fully explored in a theatrical setting and I wanted to provide a platform for these unheard communities.

“Lost at Sea was my debut play and it has taken seven years from initial idea through to production. It has been a long, emotional journey.”

Lost at Sea, King’s Theatre, Leven Street, 20–22 May, 7.30pm, £14.50-£23.50, 0131-529 6000