Nestled in the back corner of Summerhall, the Anatomy Lecture Theatre felt like the perfect place for the staging of theatre company Tortoise in a Nutshell’s Concerned Others. The production is a raw, intimate multimedia piece that creates space for the voices of those living with addiction, and those closest to them.
The subject itself is pertinent and urgent to Scotland, which has the highest rate of substance-related deaths in Europe, and saw an 11 per cent increase in 2026. The piece — which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2023 — sheds light on the stories silenced by these numbers, and the people who have borne the brunt of shame and societal stigma throughout the years.
Performer and deviser Alex Bird spends the forty-five minute show interacting with the simple set: a metal structure and a crescent-shaped table, and two shelves for props and tools for the show. From this simple stage, a world emerges. Close-up shots of a miniature city live-cast onto detachable screens, masterful puppetry by Bird, and captivating soundscapes are all interspersed with the accounts of those experiencing substance dependence, and those closest to them.
Though Bird himself spoke little, his performance was nothing short of enrapturing. His interaction with this dynamic stage created a piece that felt touched and textured, almost malleable and ever-shifting on stage. This — alongside his skilled puppetry — illuminated the raw, emotional stories that were being told on stage. The various forms of media used were integrated seamlessly and intentionally with each other, effectively immersing the audience in the stories of people living with addiction, their caregivers, family members, and other members of the community.
A particular standout scene was Bird’s portrayal of an individual grappling with the effects of addiction, in environments such as a busy street, a coffee shop, and an interview. A puppet — a head with plaster masks, each with a different emotion — was used by Bird to skilfully convey the fear, struggle, and disarray that an individual experiences when recovering from substance dependence. The scene was emotionally gripping, going beyond stigmatic representations to truly illuminate an individual’s struggle.
Hearing more from Bird during the post-show discussion, it is clear that he understands the weight of his role as a storyteller. He focuses on authentically representing the voices of those whom he spoke with for this project, which shines through in the layered, multimodal storytelling he has chosen for the piece.
Other panellists — who were concerned others involved in charity work throughout Scotland — shared the same desire for greater political urgency surrounding drug-related deaths and a hope for increased involvement of concerned others in the recovery. The sentiment was also shared that art plays a crucial role both in recovery from substance dependence, and in reducing the societal stigma that surrounds it. Concerned Others captured a lived experience with an authenticity and emotionality that is so often omitted in mainstream narratives.
Image by Mihaela Bodlovic, provided to The Student for press use.
