Scottish Dramatists’ Society announces winner of fourth Hector MacMillan Prize for Best New Scottish Play

The Scottish Dramatists’ Society has announced that the winner of the fourth Hector MacMillan Award for Best New Scottish Play is Linda McLean’s Castle Lennox.

Linda is an award-winning Scottish playwright, whose plays have been produced internationally, including in the United States and France. Castle Lennox was her second production for the Lung Ha Theatre Company and her first musical.

Set in 1969, Castle Lennox is a play and song, with lyrics by Linda and music by MJ McCarthy. It tells the story of the strength, spirit and resilience of those who were sent to institutions for the mentally handicapped during a regime of segregation from the 1930s to the 1990s. This inspiring story, based on a real institution, has been brought to the stage in collaboration with the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.

Linda said today: “I have carried the weight of Lennox Castle since I was seven years old. Working closely with Lung Ha and The Lyceum has allowed me to see it through the eyes of the people who might have been in such a place. They have done so with sincerity, joy and hard work until it has become a treasure to me. It has taken the theatrical equivalent of moving mountains to bring it to the stage, and I will always be grateful to everyone involved in that process.”

She continued: “The fact that it won the Hector Award, an award given by fellow playwrights, has forever etched it in my heart and mind as the most special thing I’ve ever written. I screamed with joy when I got the call, and then I found myself crying.

Castle Lennox has been nominated for two awards at the 2023 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland. Emma McCaffrey was shortlisted for Best Performance for her portrayal of Annis Drummond, and the cast won Best Ensemble for their work on the production. The 2023 CATS were presented at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh on 11 June 2023 by guest presenters River City actor and pantomime villain Grant Stott and BAFTA-winning actress Shauna MacDonald.

SSP Co-Chairs Peter Arnott and Kris Haddow said: “This is the fourth presentation of the Hector Prize, which saw over forty eligible pieces created in 2023 selected by SSP members during the nomination period. We are delighted to see Linda win and look forward to presenting her with the award at our 50th anniversary celebrations in November.”

Comments

To post a comment, you must register And log in.