WRITER’S NOTE

Castle Lennox is not my story. It’s a play shaped by the full cast of Lung Ha Theatre Company, extensive research and some childhood memories of visiting a kind of hospital that no longer exists.

When I first spoke to Maria Oller, the Artistic Director of the Company, about the idea, she invited me to come and speak to the actors, to share some of those memories and ask if they would like to tell the story of such a place. They were very keen.

We talked at length about it happening in a castle and how magical that sounded. We talked about the warmth and friendship between many of the patients; and how an experience can be shaped by kindness or its opposite. At some point we decided that cloaking the story in the fine veil of an old familiar fairytale would make for the kind of telling we wanted.

And then one of the actors asked if there would be songs because that was their favourite thing. It was everyone’s favourite. Mine too. And so, Castle Lennox, the musical, was conceived. Writing words to be sung was a major highlight for me. One of the songs is the weekly menu set to music. It’s called Monday is Macaroni and is probably my favourite, not least because the chorus is “Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck”. Although I’d have to say that What Do You Wear When You Want to Look Attractive, is a strong competitor and I’ll bet you’ll be humming at least one of them on your way home. The Lung Ha cast is brilliantly assisted by their support team and the Lyceum’s all singing, all dancing group of actors and musicians.

There were many firsts for me in writing this show, including the opportunity to incorporate a British Sign Language interpreter from the very beginning so that she is also a character in the play. She brought a whole new layer to my understanding of the production. It’s not my intention to gloss over the harsh aspects of the story or pretend that the play is not dealing with issues of ethics and morality, but I have no need to beat that drum. The fact that you are sitting in a theatre, watching the very people who would have been in such a place perform this story with skill and joie de vivre speaks for itself.

I want to thank Maria Oller and David Greig for making this possible. From the bottom of my heart.

Linda Mclean Playwright, Castle Lennox Writer and Lyricist