When National Theatre Of Scotland artistic director Jackie Wylie saw Moorcroft for the first time, she recognised it as exactly the kind of play her company should be backing. What better way to reach out to the people of Scotland than with a piece that spoke the national language of football? All the better that it was funny, tender and sad, and was a debut from dynamic Renfrewshire writer Eilidh Loan.
Wylie has put her money where her mouth is and, after Moorcroft enjoys a second home run at Glasgow’s Tron (where it kicked off in February 2022), NTS will take it on a series of away games throughout the autumn. The play is modelled on the formative years of Loan’s father Garry who, as this version has it, gets together with his working-class pals in Renfrew and sets up an amateur football team. This acts as a Tuesday-night alternative to life in Thatcher’s Britain (the play relishes its 80s references) until things sour, and optimism gets swamped by personal tragedy.
Moorcroft is a comedy about camaraderie and male bonding. It is also about mental health, poverty and physical illness. ‘I carry the responsibility,’ says Loan. ‘At the heart of it is my dad and his friends. It can never be anything but truthful. I’m proud of opening up conversations and changing the view he has of the world.’ Due to her dyslexia, Loan did not initially consider becoming a writer. But as part of her course at Guildford School Of Acting, she had to make a short film. The idea for Moorcroft began to emerge and, inspired by the multi-tasking Michaela Coel, she refused to limit herself. ‘It highlighted how writing and creating my own work are as important as being an actor.’

Andy Arnold, the Tron’s artistic director, had intended to co-direct the play, but when he saw how able Loan was, he left her to it. ‘I was so passionate talking about the set, the design and the sound that he said, “Eilidh, this is your show; you have to direct it”.’ In the new production, Martin Docherty returns to the role of Garry, a 50-year-old wondering where his life has gone, and is joined by most of the original all-male cast.
‘At the heart of it are vulnerable people talking about their life and mental health,’ says Loan, who has recently lost several family members to cancer. ‘I don’t think Moorcroft would have been the same play had I not gone through those experiences. It made me re-evaluate what was important to tell. That’s why it resonated. The moment that the boys lose each other . . . I felt that in my own life and it was so raw.’
Moorcroft, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thursday 13–Saturday 29 July.