Blood Orange – Diving into the Savage World of Scotland’s Neo-Nazi Revival
Drama Inspired by Far Right’s Attempts to Infiltrate Dumfries Comes to Edinburgh Fringe
Punchy, dark, dramatic and sexual – Blood Orange explores the efforts of Far Right extremists to infect rural Scotland.
The play draws on the bitterness and upheaval caused by last year’s SDL (Scottish Defence League) march in Dumfries.
Writer Graham Main confronts Edinburgh Fringe audiences with a tale from the deepest shadows of the club scene. It follows attempts by extremists to kick start a cycle of racist hatred they hope will end in murder.
Main, who runs the Electric Theatre Workshop in Dumfries, was among the many local people who turned out to oppose the SDL when it sent busloads of supporters to the rural south west town last year.
The experience made him want to raise awareness about how the rise of the Far Right in Scotland is spreading from the major cities to the countryside.
He said: “The arrival of the SDL brought a lot of people out who were determined to show they had no place in our community.
“But it really made me realise how complacent we are about the rise of the Far Right in all its many forms and the ways in which neo-Nazis work to recruit young people by stirring up hate and seducing them into their warped ideologies.
“We all too often think of the rise of the Far Right as something that’s largely a problem for the major cities, but it’s becoming more and more clear that this isn’t the case. So we are doing all we can, nationally and internationally, to raise awareness of what is happening.
“Perhaps most frightening of all is that wherever it is performed, Blood Orange has struck a chord with younger members of the audience precisely because the themes, characters and storyline genuinely reflect their world.”
The plot follows skinhead attempts to recruit young people in Dumfries in the run-up to an anti-Islamic demonstration.
It focuses on one man’s fall from grace when he is urged to take revenge after being persuaded that the arrival of Asian shopkeeper’s caused his family’s business to collapse – prompting his mother’s suicide.
Blood Orange has already enjoyed international success, having recently been staged as part of the 13th Prague Fringe Festival.
Between 1-21 August it will be at Summerhall, one of the most vibrant Edinburgh Fringe venues. To book seats go to festival14.summerhall.co.uk/event/blood-orange
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