Writer/Director: Sharron Devine
The Only Way Out Is In is a short (30 minutes) but very special experience currently on offer at a wooden pavilion in the Explorers Garden, Pitlochry Festival Theatre. I arrived with only a vague idea of what it might entail, feeling quite apprehensive as each show is performed to an audience of one. I’ve been in some small audiences in my time at the Edinburgh Fringe but never experienced being the sole focus of the performer’s attention.
I was soon reassured by the welcoming smile of Sharron Devine, Dundee-born specialist in creating intimate, site-specific theatrical work. This is truly an immersive, multisensory experience. After an initial conversation that builds connections and trust between performer and audience, I was taken into a rather magical inner sanctum where a blindfold takes away one sense, heightening the others to paint a mental and emotional picture instead of a visual one. Ben Scappaticcio’s soundscape took me on a journey through contrasting wild and urban places, then a rainstorm, and I noticed how my heart rate and breathing slowed as soon as the watery sounds began. Sharron steered me gently through the space, with a narrative about how we risk losing our connection with nature and each other, and how reconnection can be transformative. I became aware that some of the words that cropped up in our initial conversation were woven into her story like threads in a tapestry.
The sense of giving up control was powerful, and left me wondering how this feels for Sharron, as she crafts a unique experience with each visitor in the moment. At the end, there’s a liminal space and an invitation to give a brief written response, then a small memento to take away. This section felt too short, but perhaps that’s because the previous 25 minutes had been so deeply nourishing and I wasn’t ready to step out of it. Fortunately, a walk through the lush gardens surrounding the pavilion eased the transition back to the world of concrete, car parks and more people.
Runs until 28 June 2026 | Image: Conyributed
The Only Way Out Is In, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Sharron Devine, Ben Scappaticcio
