Short Attention Span Theatre Delivers a Joyous Production of Brilliant New Writing and Performance.

Short Attention Span Theatre at the Ayr Gaiety Studio Theatre

Reviewed by Euan Ruddick

There is a particular kind of joy that only small-scale theatre can deliver, and Short Attention Span Theatre understand this instinctively.

Upstairs in the purpose-built Studio at the Ayr Gaiety Theatre, the company presents an evening that is generous, confident and quietly exhilarating, offering six short plays that together form a perfect invitation into the world of live performance.

For me personally, this evening stirred something deeper. I was brought up on the work of the Citizens Theatre, where stripped-back productions, fearless writing and close, intense performances shaped my understanding of what theatre could be.

Sitting in the Gaiety Studio, my mind was whisked back to that bygone era of exciting, intimate theatre, where nothing was hidden, nothing was padded, and the audience was trusted completely.

The format only strengthens that sensation. Six plays, performed in a single, uninterrupted sweep, no interval, no need to reset the emotional energy.

Each piece arrives, lands, and gives way to the next with a rhythm that feels almost musical. You find yourself leaning forward, fully alert, excited for what comes next in the same way a child tears through wrapping paper on a birthday morning.

There is a genuine sense of anticipation between each play, and the company harness that feeling beautifully.

What follows is a carefully curated journey through six distinct theatrical worlds, each sharply defined yet united by clarity of vision and confidence in performance.

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Bog Witch LLC

By Katherine Lyle | Directed by Kay Marquis

Cast: Sarah Pieraccini and Frazer Kirkland

The evening opens with delicious assurance. Ancient myth collides with modern creative anxiety in a play that is sharp, funny and immediately relatable. An old-world bog witch, Beelzebub and the chaos of contemporary working life combine to explore ambition, imposter syndrome and the friction of close relationships. It is playful, darkly romantic and sets the bar high from the outset.

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Hyde Within

By Jolyn Lynn Crawford | Directed by David Hewitson

Cast: Gregory Bonnar and Rebekah Copeland

The atmosphere shifts entirely as the audience is drawn into Edinburgh in 1885 and the fevered imagination of Robert Louis Stevenson. This is a mesmerising and haunting piece, unfolding with precision and restraint. Themes of identity, addiction and creation are handled with elegance, and the stillness it creates in the room is a testament to its power.

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My Little Island

By Mark Daniels | Directed by Emily Mahi‘ai

Cast: James Keenan and Frazer Kirkland

Dark comedy returns in a two-hander that uses bickering as both weapon and shield. Two survivors, unable to agree even on the nature of their predicament, reveal class divides and the human instinct to cling to the familiar when everything else falls away. It is sharply observed, uncomfortably funny and deceptively insightful.

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King Size Mars Bar

By Elaine Malcolmson | Directed by Emily Mahi‘ai

Cast: Rebekah Copeland, Sarah Pieraccini and James Keenan

This play navigates grief with warmth, honesty and a keen comic touch. As a young woman arranges her father’s funeral, the past reasserts itself in unexpected ways. The writing captures the strange collision of sorrow and absurdity that accompanies loss, offering moments of genuine tenderness without ever becoming sentimental.

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The Foreseeable

By Alasdair Shaw | Directed by David Hewitson

Cast: Frazer Kirkland and Gregory Bonnar

Lean and quietly affecting, this piece centres on a moment suspended in time. A robbery looms, an intervention unfolds, and the question of choice hangs in the air. Armed with humour, an ancient Highland gift and a desire to get back to the football, the play explores fate and morality with a light touch that leaves a lasting impact.

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The Bloody Attic

Written and Directed by Kay Marquis

Cast: James Keenan and Rebekah Copeland

The evening closes on a wickedly sharp note. A once-famous television figure and a young content creator investigate a farmhouse with a grim history, exposing the hunger for relevance and belief in the digital age. It is funny, unsettling and smartly observed, bringing the night to a confident and contemporary conclusion.

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Across all six plays, the consistency of performance is striking. The ensemble move seamlessly between styles and tones, supported by direction that trusts the text and the audience in equal measure. The intimacy of the space amplifies every moment, allowing nuance, timing and silence to do their work.

Short Attention Span Theatre delivers an experience that feels both nostalgic and vital. It captures the spirit of the theatre I grew up loving while feeling firmly rooted in the present. You leave energised, engaged and reminded of the sheer pleasure of live performance when it is stripped back to its essentials and delivered with confidence and heart.

There is still time to catch Short Attention Span Theatre at the Ayr Gaiety Studio Theatre, with performances today at 2.30pm and 7pm. It is a joyful, intimate and deeply satisfying piece of theatre that deserves a full house.

Tickets are £15 from the Gaiety box office