The Return to Tally’s Blood

I first came across Ann Marie Di Mambro’s work when I saw her play “Sheila” at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1989 (I think), where she was Resident Writer at the time. It was a very entertaining play, comic with well-drawn characters and I remember thinking I would need to watch out for the writer’s next play. Not long after, her next new play “Tally’s Blood” came along - also at the Traverse. The sweeping story about the Scottish Italian community between the 1930s and 1950s was a revelation to me. I knew very little about the social history of Italians in Scotland and their experience as immigrants trying to make better lives for themselves. Amongst the drama and social history, Ann Marie’s characteristic warmth and heart was hugely present and I stored the play away at the back of my mind thinking that I might have a chance to direct a production one day. That time came in 2003 when I was Artistic Director at the Byre Theatre in St Andrews and we teamed up with Borderline Theatre to tour the play around Scotland. The play opened in St Andrews in the spring, and such was the interest in it that we brought the play back to Byre after the tour, to be part of our summer season.

I have wanted to revisit the play for quite a while and for about seven years or so I have been trying to get a new production off the ground with Jeremy Wyatt, CEO at Ayr Gaiety and Chair of Borderline Theatre, but have been unable to secure funding. Interestingly, since the play first found an audience, it has only grown in stature. It has been studied in schools for nearly thirty years and so there are generations of people who know the play yet have never seen it live on stage. Revisiting the piece in 2023 has been a real pleasure – made possible by the Gaiety Theatre Ayr, Perth Theatre and Cumbernauld Theatre teaming up to co-produce. Some of the themes of the play, immigration, multiculturalism, prejudice and bigotry, sadly, are even more pertinent than when we did the play twenty years ago – but the sweep of the story, the warmth of the characters, the humour and the enormous heart that Ann Marie brings to the play also continue to speak volumes.

We’ve had a brilliant response to our new production so far and hope that it will continue to be seen in theatres well beyond this current run.

Ken Alexander

October 2023

Catch Tally’s Blood at Macrobert from Wed 25 - Fri 27 Oct.

You can purchase tickets here.

To see our full programme visit our website.