Written by Douglas Maxwell

Directed by Sally Reid

Review by Dominic Corr

Pitlochry Festival Theatre

One touch. That’s all it can take to change your entire life. But for anyone who has bene in the throngs of desire, of unrequited love, or of distance – sometimes the lack of a physical connection can drive you so much harder.

Douglas Maxwell’s Inexperience arrives in the Studio space at Pitlochry Festival Theatre with a tone that feels both deceptively light and emotionally probing, threading Maxwell’s trademark humour and reflection through a narrative rooted in missed opportunities and long-held longing. Under Sally Reid’s direction, the production leans into that balance, allowing the play to unfold as both a romantic speculation and a quietly unsettling meditation on the lives we choose—and the ones we refuse.

At the centre is a deceptively simple premise. In the mid-1990s, two students, Robin and Iris, meet and strike an unusual agreement at a party: they will deny themselves physical connection with one another, preserving a sense of potential that might otherwise fade. For one, the moment dissolves almost immediately; for the other, it becomes something fixed, almost mythic. Decades later, their lives – shaped in entirely different ways – intersect once more, forcing both to interrogate that initial decision and everything that followed.

Maxwell’s writing thrives in this tension between restraint and abandon. Robin, now a Chief Sheriff Clerk, exists within a framework of order and control, attempting to keep the complexities of human behaviour at arm’s length. Iris, by contrast, has lived expansively moving through relationships, causes and contradictions with unapologetic momentum. Their reunion becomes less about rekindling romance and more about confronting the philosophies that have defined them. These are characters which are recognisable in everyday life; for all audiences. And the performances are the real pin this production.

Sandy Grierson captures Robin’s internal conflict with careful precision. There is a quiet rigidity in his physicality that gradually begins to fracture, revealing something more vulnerable beneath the surface. Reid’s direction has a firm grasp of character and space, Grierson utilising this at every opportunity. Opposite him, Adura Onashile’s Iris is driven by impulse and curiosity, yet never reduced to caricature. Onashile brings both warmth and restlessness to the role, ensuring that Iris’s unpredictability remains grounded in recognisable human need. Together, they create a dynamic that is both fractious and compelling, built on the push and pull between caution and risk.

The supporting cast – Sophie Fortune and Alexander Tait – handle multiple roles with clarity and energy, shifting between characters with ease. Fortune brings a distinct poise to her interpretations, while Tait’s comic timing introduces moments of levity that prevent the play from becoming overly introspective. Their contributions extend the world of the piece without diluting its central focus. 

Visually, the production is understated but effective. Jessica Worrall’s design allows the space to remain fluid, supporting the play’s movement across time without imposing unnecessary detail, and becomes a near theatrical cat-walk with lighting by Derek Anderson and sound design from Michael John McCarthy which work in tandem to shape transitions, creating shifts in mood that feel organic rather than imposed. Movement direction from Vicki Manderson adds another layer, and is essential in a production (ironically) about a lack of connective physicality; particularly in moments where proximity—or the lack of it—becomes thematically significant. 

Where Inexperience occasionally falters is in its pacing. The narrative, rich with ideas and emotional detail, sometimes lingers longer than necessary, revisiting themes that have already been clearly established. This results in a second half that feels slightly extended, with repetitions that soften the impact of what is otherwise a tightly constructed concept. 

Yet the play’s core remains compelling throughout. Its exploration of intimacy – what it means to allow closeness, to deny it, and to revisit it years late – is handled with both intelligence and sensitivity. Maxwell resists neat resolution, instead allowing the characters to exist within the uncertainty they have created.

Inexperience ultimately succeeds as a thoughtful and engaging piece of contemporary Scottish theatre from on its best, directed by one of the best, and performed by four of its best. One that examines the quiet consequences of choice with wit and emotional honesty. It may stretch its ideas a touch too far to push the run time, but it does so with a generosity of spirit that is difficult to resist.

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