Insiders
★★★☆☆ Finding Faith
St John’s Church (Venue 127): Wed 13 Aug – Sat 16 Aug
Review by Flora Henderson
After performing Insiders to over 400 prisoners, the Bethany Christian Trust brings Sam Rowe’s Insiders to St John’s Church on Lothian Road for the middle week of the Fringe only.
Written in collaboration with the inmates at HMP Shotts over a period of almost ten years, Sam Rowe has made sure to stay truthful to these real experiences in his portrayal of three male prisoners. The play provides a snapshot of the variety of struggles faced by those living behind bars, covering drug abuse, isolation, and boredom.
Insiders – Sam Rowe as Danny. Pic: Todd Weller
Insiders is presented through a series of monologues delivered directly to the audience, with a few moments of dialogue woven in. One by one, Danny (Sam Rowe), Craig (Sean Connor), and Richard (Garry Sweeney) introduce themselves by painting a picture of their cells, and three very different characters are created.
Danny, aspiring personal trainer and serial video gamer, clashes with Craig, a recovering addict who has found faith to help him try and stay on the right path. Further contrast is found in Richard, who previously had a season ticket with Scottish Opera, and is struggling to come to terms with the new entertainment his neighbours offer.
Whilst the actors clearly believe what they are seeing in their cells, the effect is somewhat dampened by the ever-changing location (or even presence) of the walls. When the prisoners can or cannot hear each other doesn’t seem to necessarily relate to the volume they’re talking at, and they sometimes appear to walk into each other’s cells without using a door. The style of the play doesn’t call for complete naturalism – the set is simply four chairs – but this disregard of the parameters which they themselves created pulls the audience out of the play’s world.
truth and humanity
Notwithstanding, Connor is very convincing, deftly managing to remain intelligible without compromising his thick Glaswegian accent. He creates a truthful character arc as Craig begins to let his walls down, revealing the wealth of emotion swelling underneath the persona he has created. Sweeney similarly finds truth and humanity underneath Richard’s middle class facade, inviting the audience to reflect on the impact of loneliness.
Rowe is less impressive as Danny – he uses an excess of physical gesture and a repetitive vocal pattern which alienates the audience from his character’s journey. Whilst the story he tells is powerful, he fails to fully embody it, furthering this sense of disconnect.
Michael McMillan, a singer-songwriter from Glasgow, supplies musical interludes throughout the piece. The songs placed at the beginning and the end are effective, helping to reinforce the fundamentally Christian message. However, when songs come in between the action, they feel slightly too long, and can diminish the dramatic tension built up during the scenes.
Although the ending of the play makes its intentions very clear – it aims to champion the role of faith in allowing prisoners to get back on track – other points of view are explored in the story, allowing some room to come to your own conclusions.
Despite the inconsistency in the standard of performance, the stories shown are definitely hard-hitting. Rather than presenting stereotypes or clichés, there is a solid credibility to the characters and their circumstances.
Running time: 55 minutes (no interval).
St John’s Church (Main Church), 1A Lothian Road EH1 2AB (Venue 127).
Wed 13 – Sat 16 August 2025.
Daily: 1pm, Sat also 5pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Facebook: @BethanyChristianTrust1
Linktree: @bethanychristiantrust
X: @bethanychtrust
ENDS
