An eerie, futuristic set awaits the audience of Rona Munro’s new play - a white capsule with two rounded craters in the back wall and a glowing, blue floor set the tone for an unusual piece of contemporary theatre. Three characters emerge from the craters, clambering on ropes and hand holds - they are climbing enthusiasts who have suffered an accident and are en route to hospital, where an encounter with a widowed nurse allows all concerned to reveal their haunting pasts. The dialogue of the play is shrouded in mystery, and the complexities of the story are only unravelled as the characters confront their own ghosts by contemplating and coming to terms with death. The atmospheric music as well as the incandescent, pulsating light source on the clinical white scenery creates a harrowing and ghostly effect which runs parallel to the individual loneliness of characters struggling to work as a team. Excellent performances from all members of the cast (of especial note is Jan Pearson in a moving and unsettling turn as the nurse), compliment the beautifully eloquent and provocative writing of Rona Munro. A tender, emotive look at survival, comradeship and loss.

• Long Time Dead
• Traverse Theatre
• 5 – 26 August (except 6, 13, 20)
• Times vary