Harbour Arts Centre

The venue that stands out the most for me has to be the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine. We'd gotten used to changing sets depending on the size of the space at each venue, but the Harbour Arts Centre was every bit the unique experience you'd prepared us for - "like acting on a postage stamp" as Brendan said.

I’ve always been fond of the Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, because of the audience,
 but it was here that Jimmy Chisholm damn near knocked me out. 
 In ‘Gagarin Way’, a brilliant black comedy by Gregory Burke, Jordan Young and Finn den Hertog share the stage for the first ten minutes, before Jimmy Chisholm comes on with me, hooded, over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift, unconscious. 
The Harbour Arts Centre is a wee venue, with a very cramped “backstage”. For me to get over Jimmy’s shoulder, I stood on a chair and draped my myself over him. He then swung round, pointed himself towards the stage, and entered. At the HAC, he swung me round and my head battered against a door jamb, right on my ear. I don’t know how loudly I went, “Ooyah!”, but then we were onstage. 
 I’m supposed to get sat slumped on a chair and remain there, out of it, for another ten/twelve minutes. Which I did, ear throbbing, wondering if the big reveal would reveal blood streaming from the ear...I was fine. Great play, by the way, with a great cast!