“Morna Young’s personal tale of trawlermen risking their lives for pay evokes the romance and brutal realism of the sea… She is as funny in her conversational observation as she is wise to the politics of poverty and, in a blend of poetry, song and high-seas drama, she creates a stormy and soulful lament.”

Mark Fisher, The Guardian, 4*

“..this play’s powerful lineage in silence-breaking working-class drama about untold Scottish lives…”

Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman, 4*

“evocative, atmospheric, mesmorising”

David Pollock, The Stage, 4*

“…a story that is at once of its time, and timeless”

Allan Radcliffe, The Times. 4*

“Superb… Young’s play is a moving, commemorative fiction”

Mark Brown, The Sunday Herald, 4*

“Young has composed a requiem… a stunning experience”

Joy Watters, Across the Arts, 4*

“…what emerges from Young’s labour of love is both a personal meditation on loss and a show of collective strength”

Neil Cooper, The Herald, 4*

“…a dark, brooding, deeply moving threnody.”

Brett Herriot, Scots Gay Arts, 5*

“Powerful and poignant”

Tom King, Southside Advertiser, 5*

“… hauntingly beautiful... so atmospheric you can almost taste the salt water, smell the fish”

Peter Cargill, Dundee Courier

ABOUT

“The untold war o man versus the elements. Oh, I’ll tell it tae ye. The tale oh the fishermen fightin the ocean. Yer in for a rough ride.”

Morna’s first play “Lost at Sea”, written in 2012, was inspired by the loss of her fisherman father when she was a child. 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.

WORLD PREMIERE

"Lost at Sea" premiered at Perth Theatre - Horsecross on 27th April 2019 before touring to: Dundee Rep Theatre | His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen | Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock | Eden Court, Inverness | Kings Theatre, Edinburgh | D&G Arts Festival, Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries.

Directed by Ian Brown (formerly Artistic Director of Traverse and West Yorkshire Playhouse), the all-Scottish cast of well-known faces included Tam Dean Burn (Outlaw King, River City, Moon Dogs) at the helm as the Skipper, Gerry Mulgrew as Billy, Kim Gerard as Eve, Ali Craig as Jock, Helen McAlpine as Kath, Andy Clark as Kevin and Jennifer Black as Meg. Thoren Ferguson from Scottish band The Jacobites joined the company as Mate/Musician and Sophia McLean played Shona in her first major Scottish role.

The award-winning creative team included Composer Pippa Murphy and Designer Karen Tennent. Completing the creative company were Lighting Designer Katharine Williams, Jim Manganello as Movement Director and Associate Director Rosa Duncan.

For more information, visit the Lost at Sea Facebook page or follow @LostatSeaPlay on Twitter.

REHEARSED READING

The first public rehearsed reading of “Lost at Sea” took place on 1 March 2013 in Lossiemouth Town Hall. It was presented as a, co-production between Morna, Stellar Quines Theatre Company, Out of the Darkness Theatre Company and the Moray Council. Award winning Muriel Romanes directed the play and Peter Arnott dramaturged the performance. The wonderful cast included: Tam Dean Burn, Lesley Hart, Ross Allan, Kern Falconer, Carol Ann Crawford, Emilie Patry, Cameron Mowat, Estrid Barton, David Rankine and Melissa Paterson.

A secondary reading took place as part of The Finborough Theatre's Vibrant Festival 2015, directed by Liz Carruthers. The cast featured Stuart Bowman, Lindy Whiteford, Sharon Young, David McKail, Isobella Hubbard, Patricia Kavanagh, Adam McNamara, Ross F Sutherland, Ben Clifford and Cara Ballingall.

COMMENTS FROM THE 2013 REHEARSED READING

"...a very powerful piece of work and very impressive for a first full length piece of work..." (George Aza-Selinger, Literary Manager, National Theatre of Scotland)

“A joy to read. It's made for the theatre – the language, music, song - and has a great epic presence - the sea - against which to set the tragedies of those lives lost trying to eke a living out of it.” (Paddy Cuneen, Playwright / Director)

"A wonderfully rich, lyrical and powerfully evocative piece..." (Lesley Hart, Playwright / Actress)

"Beautifully written" (Tina McGeever, Artistic Director, Out of the Darkness Theatre Company)