Citadel Arts Group Digs Deep into Local Lore for Anniversary Production ‘EH7’

As Citadel Arts Group marks its 30th year championing community-based theatre, it does so not with nostalgic retrospection but by delving energetically into the history of the very streets around it. Their latest play, EH7, named after the Edinburgh postcode it explores, offers a spirited and often surprising excavation of local legend, myth, and memory.

A Hidden Well and a Balloonist

The play’s tapestry of tales features a curious ensemble of characters drawn from the annals of Restalrig and Craigentinny. Among them is St Triduana, an early Christian martyr said to have gouged out her eyes to evade a Pictish king’s advances. According to tradition, she settled in Restalrig, where her well, believed to cure ailments of sight, still exists tucked behind St Margaret’s Church. In EH7, Triduana becomes a sort of spiritual narrator, guiding a modern schoolboy named Rory through the history of his neighbourhood.

Rory is played by local performer Magnus Byrne, a student at Edinburgh College’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland and an alumnus of Abbeyhill Primary, where Citadel is currently in residence. For Byrne, the role is personal. “I’ve lived in EH7 my whole life,” he says. “But I had no idea about half these stories. It has completely changed how I see where I come from.”

In addition to Triduana, the play introduces audiences to James Tytler, the eccentric 18th-century editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Britain’s first balloonist, as well as Captain Macrae, a local gentleman known for fighting a duel over a dispute involving a sedan chair.

Monumental Tales in Modest Streets

The writers also take on the story of ‘Measure’ Miller, the wealthy and reclusive owner of Craigentinny House, who commissioned a huge, classically styled mausoleum now known as the Craigentinny Marbles. The monument sits incongruously among 1920s bungalows and houses Miller forty feet underground. His life and legacy are given theatrical shape, alongside the story of the Logan laird, posthumously tried for treason in the infamous Gowrie Plot.

Beyond the grand and the bizarre, EH7 also weaves in the voices of working people. Oral histories of local industries, including the Munrospun knitwear factory and Edinburgh Crystal, are incorporated into the narrative. It is a reminder that the heritage of a place is never solely about monuments and aristocrats, but also the labour and lives of those who lived and worked there.

A Collective Act of Storytelling

The play is the result of a collaboration between six members of Citadel’s Playwrights Workshop, a programme specifically designed to support older writers. The workshop, which meets at Leith Dockers Club, boasts participants aged from their 60s into their 90s. Writers San Cassimally, Bill Haddow, John Lamb, Rhona McAdam, Alan Mountford and Hilary Spiers crafted the script collectively, guided by Citadel’s Artistic Director Liz Hare.

“There is a vibrancy and wit to this group that makes it such a pleasure to work with,” says Hare. “They’re fearless when it comes to mixing forms and tones. We’ve got tragedy, comedy, folklore and realism, all sharing the same stage.”

The play is directed by EH7 local Mark Kydd, with costumes by Susan Chaney, sound by Roddy Simpson, stage management from Maggie Brown, and props by Stewart Emm. The cast features Citadel regulars including Ashley Barlow, Jim Bryce, Gregor Davidson, Leo McNeill, Mairi Jayne Weir, and Deborah Whyte, alongside Byrne.

Community History as Living Theatre

EH7 first received a public airing in February at a script-in-hand performance for the Ripple, a Restalrig-based community hub and lunch club. Audience feedback from that session directly informed the redrafting process. Ripple director Todd Bioletti described the collaboration as “a great way to connect with our community members and bring to life the stories and experiences of the local area.”

Responses from the Ripple audience speak to the production’s ability to inform as well as entertain. Comments included: “I learned a lot about local history that was previously unknown,” and “Stories told with humour and energy… thoroughly enjoyed hearing all the things that happened in my area.”

In addition to the performances, Citadel will provide audiences with a free printed guide detailing the historical background to the stories on stage, and will host a public visit to St Triduana’s Well on 14 June.

A Model of Grassroots Theatre

This production also marks a milestone in Citadel’s ongoing mission. Founded in 1995 by writer Millie Gray and director Liz Hare, the company was originally created to give voice to older people and continues to foreground stories from Edinburgh’s overlooked communities. Citadel is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s most consistent champions of community theatre.

Over the years, their work has ranged from plays set in the Edinburgh tenements to digital shorts by young writers that have clocked up hundreds of thousands of views online. Productions like Leith Customs and Tales of the Towpath have demonstrated how Citadel combines professional craft with community focus to produce work that speaks to specific places and people, without sacrificing theatrical ambition.

“We’re telling stories from EH7 for the people who live here,” says Hare. “But I hope the resonance is broader. Heritage isn’t just something that happens in castles and museums. It lives in our streets, our workplaces, and our memories.”

For director Mark Kydd, another EH7 resident, grounding the play in the textures of real lives and overlooked landmarks brings its own reward: “There’s something deeply satisfying about shining a light on the richness of our own back yard. These are stories that linger — sometimes half-buried, sometimes proudly spoken — but always worth telling.”

Featured Image: James Tytler, balloonist (Deborah Whyte) watched by the crowd (Gregor Davidson and Mairi Jayne Weir)

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To learn more visit https://www.citadelartsgroup.co.uk/.

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