Stef Smith is an uncompromising writer. Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University has some history. What might a collision between the two produce? Commissioned to mark ‘150 years of hope, action and education’ it’s performed by a cast of the university’s acting and performance students, bookended by crises; the poverty and hunger that inspired its founding in 1875 and the cuts to and erosion of the education sector that started in the 1970’s, persisting to the present day. It’s almost as if, following the 60’s, someone felt education might pose a threat.
The story alighted upon two other milestones in the institution’s journey, the wartime contributions of the students (many spent time in London looking after bomb repair workers dealing with the effects of Hitler’s 1944 rocket offensive) and the Covid outbreak in 2020. The former featured the return home of two soldiers in contrasting states of mind, one viewing his survival as an opportunity to live again, the other numbed by the horrors he’d experienced. Never mind the missing right arm.
The latter demonstrated the effects of austerity upon both the health service and education as trainee nurses wrestled with the pressures and emotional toll inflicted as the wards overflowed with critical cases, some dying in front of them.
The piece didn’t shy away from internal conflict; the passionate debate regarding whether one should join the sit-in protest against cuts or complete one’s studies in the 70’s was well portrayed and hit upon a raw nerve; you’ve arrived from a middle class background and feel the responsible thing is to support the lecturers… or you’re from a working class one and just want to seize the opportunity, complete your degree and get out into the real world. Both valid arguments.
At the end we see a staff room heatedly discussing similar issues as reduced numbers have to deal with bigger workloads and resources are pared back. The whispered refrain ‘Chop, Snip, Rip’, starting the play sounding like a culinary instruction, took on a more sinister aspect as the play progressed.
This was well-staged, well-lit and well-directed. An accomplishment from a group of talented students who’d clearly paid attention to and made the most of working with a great writer and director.
Reviewer: Roger Jacobs
Reviewed: 20th February 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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