Concerned Others – The Eastgate Theatre, Peebles

Concerned Others is an installation-style docu-drama, utilising live art, tiny models, puppetry, masks and even a treadmill to convey the hidden inner world of the addict and society’s unwilling attitude to look this problem squarely in the face. It is mesmerising with its real-life voice-overs and shocking statistics about the counter culture of substance abuse and crime endemic in Scotland.

With Scotland’s statistics for 2025 standing at 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people (four times higher than in the year 2000), drug and alcohol-related deaths in Scotland out-performs the rest of Europe. The death rate in Scotland’s most deprived areas is fifteen times higher than the least deprived areas. Yet no-one, no class, is immune.

The soundscape of this intriguing miniature theatre (which we watch via projection) is well chosen. Interference is punctuated with real interview snippets from those left behind or those impacted by substance abuse. Doctors feature more than once.

Public Health Scotland’s Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) reported 330 suspected drug deaths between December 1, 2025, and March 1, 2026 (averaging 25 per week).  Multiple Sclerosis, another high incidence illness in Scotland, averages less than 3.8 deaths per week. I wonder if we provide more care for the MS sufferer than the substance-addicted addict? Nobody sets out to be an addict. Surely, they deserve an equal helping hand?

Of course, this social issue is linked to pockets of deprivation, intense pressure (as in the medical world) and a laissez-faire attitude. Not all people who abuse substances die from an overdose. For some it can be a very long, suicidal road where they slowly destroy their liver and kidneys and their relationships along the way. Sympathy is scant. Understanding is scant. We are living cheek by jowl with an ongoing treadmill of persistent hope fighting shame and secrecy. Like Bulimia or Anorexia – social expectations and pressures are complicit in creating this aberrant outcome.

Our accepted sense of morality ensures we hide this social and personal scourge from view, which is why this type of theatre is so effective. These tiny, hand-crafted models are unique one-offs, like each of us. Magnifying them for general viewing says a lot about the way we conceal this shameful aspect of society. We shrink our “weaknesses”. But should we? Wouldn’t it be better if society were more supportive, rather than leaving it to the family and carers?

It is well-known that drugs and crime are firm bedfellows. If we want a safe society, we need to care for those that struggle to live within our parameters with genuine support and respect.

There must be answers. But to make a dent, there needs to be a groundswell of willingness rather than a moral judgement of “them”.  The Government must feel committed.

This short piece of theatrical installation where we immerse ourselves in this alternative world of miniature rooms and streets, walking through and seeing it all via the lens of  the camera, is spookily engaging and definitely disturbing.

It is a niche piece of theatre. An important piece of theatre. A piece that it would be good to believe, to hope, that it would have an impact and make things better in the future. Not just for those already addicted, but for those who fear the need to numb themselves from the pressures of today’s unreasonable expectations. Kindness is not always easy, but it is always required.

Concerned Others will be performed at Grangemouth Town Hall on Monday 19th October and Tuesday 20th October.

Reviewer: Kathleen Mansfield

Reviewed: 17th October 2026

North West End UK Rating: