Prime Productions is one of Scotland's leading touring theatre companies. Our production of Sunset Song had to be revived by popular demand and was nominated for the TMA/OPUS Award for the Best Touring Production in the UK. Subsequent productions of Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off and Further Than The Furthest Thing attracted similar acclaim - Carol Ann Crawford was nominated for the Best Actress Award in the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland in Further Than The Furthest Thing. Prime Productions works hard to maintain and develop its close relationships with promoters and audiences throughout Scotland, particularly in rural areas where we have a long history of touring.

The company was founded in 1985 by Rose McBain, Thelma Rogers and Martin Heller to mount a production of three one-act plays by Ena Lamont Stewart, the author of Men Should Weep who has been described as the Scottish Chekhov.  At that time two of the plays had been given only a rehearsed reading by the Scottish Society of Playwrights, and the third had not been performed at all. The three actors decided to put this right and under the generic title of Will You Still Need Me?, and with Scottish Arts Council support, the production opened at the Traverse, toured round Scotland to small and medium scale venues, and ended its run at the the Tron Theatre in Glasgow. The plays, and Sandy Neilson's direction were highly praised by
audiences and critics alike.  Prime Productions, apart from a few gap years, has continued touring ever since.

The Way In.

The roots of Prime Productions lie buried in the post-war days of touring theatre.   Martin Heller, aged twenty and straight from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, joined a small company which could have been described at the time as part of a commune.  An estate and an old house on the edge of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire provided accommodation, office and rehearsal space for an acting company of seven, as well as a home for the family of the Artistic Director, John Crockett, who was a fine artist and dancer, as well as actor and director - a man of many talents.
This company, the original Compass Players, was dedicated to producing a repertoire of classics such as Marlowe's Dr. Faustus and plays by Shaw, Synge, Chekhov, Moliere, Fry, Milton's  masque Comus, and exciting versions of The Pardoner's Tale from The Canterbury Tales, and Jonah and the Whale - both adapted by John Crockett.

This rich introduction to theatre, and the experience of playing in village halls, miner's Institutes and schools across England, Wales and over the Border into Scotland, fired the imagination of all the young actors involved. Everything had to be carried in a recycled laundry van nicknamed Bertha.  There were seats for nine, and behind them went sets and props, costumes, lighting and sound equipment for three or four productions for each tour. The entire company acted, stage-managed, lit the show, maintained the costumes and props and put up and struck the set.  A school matinee and an evening show daily was normal.  Hospitality was offered in many places, and gratefully accepted since everyone in the company existed on 15/- per week plus their keep. Company members might find themselves guests in a miner's cottage one night and in a mansion the next, and friendships cemented then still exist today. No Compass Player ever forgot the training they gained -professional and social, or the impact their visits had on the many small communities that welcomed them.

Nowadays going out on a small-scale tour is not, perhaps, quite such hard work as it was in the days just after the Second World War, and it is certainly better paid. The first four members of Compass Players used to share two meals in a British Restaurant - a kind of wartime cheap cafe. Money was that tight!  But the spirit is still there, and the need and the demand is still there and it is the aim of Prime Productions to continue the tradition and satisfy the demand.

Prime Productions, in the 90s maintained the link, and the friendships as two plays, Herr Bach & Mr. Handel and From Where I'm Standing were written by John Ringham who was one of the original Compass Players.

Prime Productions aims to give sell-out audiences, throughout Scotland and beyond, plays they want to see and a full theatrical experience.

The Company was founded to tour professional theatre of the highest possible quality throughout Scotland and elsewhere with particular emphasis on places which do not have easy access to major theatres. Since 1985 we have successfully presented  a wide variety of work in village halls and theatres from the Borders to Shetland. We aim to develop strong relationships with local promoters, ensuring that our productions are well attended, and we push to the limit the constraints of touring theatre, creating a full theatrical experience in the most rural of venues, with the emphasis on a strong visual style, and excellent casts.

Of past productions, critics have said;

of "Will You Still Need Me"  

..impeccably detailed microcosms of life seen beneath a microscope...

Scottish Theatre News

of "Uncorking Old Sherry"   

..here is a Sheridan that ought to be uncorked more often, and an exceedingly decent vintage it is

Glasgow Herald

of "Herr Bach  and Mr. Handel" 

 ...among the most delightful and original pieces on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 

The Stage

of "The Merchant of Venice"  

The achievement is peerless... Finlay McLean is a superbly Scottish Shylock.... 
Shakespeare is now the author of at least two Scottish plays

The Scotsman

of "Search Through the Ashes"  

Prime Productions presentation is so unique and compelling 
that it adds a new dimension to the terrible story 

The Stage

of "Hamlet"  

...dynamic, direct story telling..

The Scotsman

of the 2001 production of "Sunset Song"

...the show establishes a powerful emotional link with the audience

The Scotsman

.. there was only a stunned silence and the trickle of a tear

Daily Express

If you live in one of Scotland¹s larger metrops, you may have to travel to see it...
If there is a single persuasive reason to do so. her name is Cora Bissett.

The Glasgow Herald