A Community Space
The head-quarters of DunsPlayFest is, and always will be, the Volunteer Hall in Duns. This unpretentious late-Victorian edifice was built primarily for volunteer soldiers to practise marching in (older Dunsonians know it as The Drill Hall) and it contains the largest indoor space in all Berwickshire.
Every square inch of this space is made full use of by DunsPlayFest which at the end of every April transforms the venerable arena into a miniature world of magic and delight, with a main stage area separated from the more informal cabaret space by an enchantingly adorned scaffolding rig, with colour and enchantment all around, hot food round the corner, a well-stocked bar and, most importantly, an almost incredible succession of excellent shows – drama, film, music, poetry, comedy and story-telling, not forgetting a comprehensive workshop programme for those eager to learn a wide variety of theatrical skills.
As the Volunteer Hall is usually being used for such events as craft fairs, community lunches and University of the Third Age lectures, DunsPlayFest feels privileged to take its place as part of the annual community rhythm. The festival began as an expression of the ambition of local theatrical troupe, Duns Players, and while it is now separate from them, and an independent SCIO, it will never forget its roots and will always provide opportunities for budding local playwrights to have their work performed and other theatrical practitioners to get involved and strut their stuff.
We are also determined to make the festival as interesting and accessible as possible for all the people of Duns and district. By collaborations with the High School and the Primary School, with groups of the elderly, local writing groups and community learning groups, we seek to intertwine our good intentions with theirs, and to entice friends to the festival in the hope that having seen someone they know, they stick around and see something new, something surprising, maybe even enlightening.
With many performances per day, and a remarkably welcoming environment, nourishment included, DunsPlayFest is set up for unexpected fun. We want the community to love the festival and there are signs that this is beginning to happen, signs that Duns is beginning to associate the beginning of May – that time of new beginnings and burgeoning beauty – with the onset of theatrical types to the Volunteer Hall, and a town-wide atmosphere of tingle and excitement.
Much as we love the Volunteer Hall, we are by no means confined there. Our most successful community event, after the free and welcoming opening party, is probably the Family Day which has so far always happened up at the marvellous Duns Castle where children’s entertainers of astonishingly high calibre delight the young of all ages, and no one pays a penny. With more than 300 making the trip up to the Castle in recent years, the DunsPlayFest Family Day is well on its way to becoming a landmark in the Duns year – and a great introduction to both the festival and to the whole idea of theatre for local youngsters.
We also make use of Duns Park and the Parish Church Hall, the Cadet Hall, the Parish and the Catholic Church. We hope to encourage buskers into the Square and will always welcome new ideas from the most important of people... YOU... our community!
We feel that DunsPlayFest is rather like the Edinburgh Fringe, but better. Like the Fringe, we feature an amazing range of high-quality performers but unlike the Fringe, everything happens in a small area and there is no trouble organizing your day. Indeed, if you come to the Hall and sit tight, you are guaranteed to take in several expressions of theatrical and/or musical excellence.
DunsPlayFest is growing every year and while it now employs on a freelance basis several professionals it still relies heavily on the contribution of a large band of volunteers who all, naturally enough, come from Duns and the surrounding district. The festival could not have happened without them and nor would it exist without the unpaid theatrical efforts of Duns Players who, in 2024, presented five newly-written plays which were, of course, among the most popular attractions of the week.
DunsPlayFest sees itself developing into a kind of theatrical, Scottish Borders version of the famous Aldeburgh Festival which is so embroiled in its community, so nurturing of new talent and local enthusiasm, and so keen to spread the word about the wonders of artistic expression. Although bursting with talent, Berwickshire has no theatre at all and, believing as strongly as we do in the importance and benefits of theatre, we are determined to make up for this lack with nine days of the best-possible theatrical performance in which we long for the community to share. Duns and district! Come on down to the Volunteer Hall!
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