A new play inspired by the “triumph and tragedy” of Dunfermline Athletic’s 1995/96 season is coming to the city next year.
Walking Down the Halbeath Road, spearheaded by the Pars Supporters Trust, will follow the highs and lows of a family growing up locally during one of the club’s most turbulent seasons.
Mike Gibb, who wrote the play, told The Courier: “Tragedy is a word often overused in football.
“It’s a tragedy to miss a penalty, but all of a sudden on January 6 we knew what a tragedy was.
“People didn’t know what to do; they went to East End Park and hugged people they’d never met in their life, they laid scarves and flowers.
“We go quite a long way into that [in the play] because that was probably the most major event in Dunfermline’s history.
“I like to think of plays as a rollercoaster. You make people feel comfortable and you pull the rug from under them. Hopefully, that works in this case as well.”
Mike, who has published several books in the past – including three for the Pars Supporters Trust – wants the play to be relatable to the audience.
He said: “Dunfermline has always been a community and family club, so I was keen to do it in this particular way.
“It is primarily a play of a family, a guy who spends his life in Eastport Bar and is a fanatical Dunfermline supporter.
“His wife is a bit downtrodden, living in a fairly basic council house in Abbeyview estate, with two sons.
“One son is a Jack the lad, goes to the football with his dad. The other is very shy, where him and his father have a strange relationship.
“I hope that people coming to watch the play identify with the basic working class lifestyle, with East End Park being a bit of an escape.
Family story with involvement of football
“It is a family story with an involvement of football, set against a year with triumph and tragedy for the Pars.”
Andrew Main, chair of the Pars Supporters Trust, came up with the idea of making a play after seeing the success of plays about other football clubs.
He said: “I knew the big Glasgow clubs had done this.
“When I had a look at it there were other clubs outwith Rangers and Celtic that had done this as well, and I figured that as a club, Dunfermline has a rich history, so surely there must be something we could develop.
“If you ask me and most Dunfermline fans, one particular season that would stick out in more recent times was the 95/96 season, which was an emotional rollercoaster.”
Bid to fill male and female roles
The trust is looking to fill five male and four female roles for the play – which will be at the Alhambra Theatre from March 2-4 – with anyone interested in taking part asked to email director Calum Beaton at mrcalumbeaton@gmail.com.
Andrew added: “It has been well received and we can’t wait to get started.
“Mike has come up with a script that will not only appeal to football fans but also to the local theatre-goers.
“We hope it will appeal to a wider audience.”
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