Andrew John Tait as George and Ali Watt as Jock in It Wisnae Me
Directed by Cheryl Martin.
A police interview room. A table. Jock has been huckled for a crime he says he didn’t commit: imperialism. He has been spotted at the scene, but is it what it looks like? Or is Jock, despite what he claims, a racist himself? It Wisnae Me is a political satire posing questions about Scotland’s complicity in colonisation.
Starring Danielle Jam, Ali Watt and Andrew John Tait.
Danielle Jam as James McCune Smith in It Wisnae Me
“A pacy, engaging hour, it’s full of sharp, accessible sketches that peel back and reveal the play’s message. It’s a stylish treatment of a thorny issue, and makes for very effective theatre.” – 4**** Robert Peacock, The Wee Review
“A forensic examination of Scotland’s complicity in the history of African slavery doesn’t sound the most promising subject for an entertaining hour at lunchtime, but Bissett pulls it off brilliantly. Highly recommended.” – Go Live
“Jam’s farewell advice to ‘move on’ cuts brilliantly through the guilt trip, and there’s a generous, forgiving twist in this tale of farcical blame games and factional amnesia.” – Mary Brennan, The Herald
“It Wisnae Me provides some entertaining notes towards [a discussion of Scotland’s role in slavery], inconclusive, and perhaps ill-placed in this particular month, but unfailingly interesting.” – Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
Performed as a full production at Oran Mor, Glasgow, and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, as part of A Play, A Pie and a Pint series, Oct 2018, in conjunction with the Coalition for Racial Equalities and Rights (CRER)
First performed as a scripted reading, called Jock: Scotland on Trial, at the Tron Theatre in May 2014, moving to the Finborough Theatre, London, in Sept 2014.
“Billed as a scripted reading but done with such professionalism it could easily have been a full production ready to roll out at a moment’s notice.” – Tariq Kataria
Alan Bissett 