A play, a Pie and a Pint Event Preview at Oran Mor Glasgow

‘A Play, a Pie and a Pint’ – these three Ps have stolen the show for the past five years at Oran Mor, Glasgow, locking down the lunch hour with exactly what it says on the tin, for a credit-crunching, pie-munching £10. The idea has now gone east to The Traverse, Edinburgh, and they have commissioned a diverse range of some of Scotland’s finest literary talent to come on board.

This season serves up the Dylan-inspired one man show, Poem in October by Robert Forrest; Lucky Box by David Harrower, who is returning to the venue that launched his first play, the ominously titled Knives in Hens; An Apple a Day by Jo Clifford, a quirky, provocative piece about a transsexual prostitute and an apple; the romantic Kyoto by David Greig; and The Ching Room by Alan Bissett, a seedy, intense power battle set in a toilet cubicle.

This assortment of plays pulls together playwrights from different genres, with plenty of drama, intensity, lovers, tragedy and scandal, despite the lunch-hour viewing time.

“Variety is the essence,” explains producer David Maclennan. “We look at established writers as well as younger, new talent. We like to surprise the audience and keep them guessing.”

It invites guests to be fed, watered and thoroughly entertained. However, as Alan Bissett points out, “Edinburgh’s a healthier city than Glasgow, so they might have to rename it ‘A Play, a Prawn Sandwich and a Pinot’.” Fresh theatre, along with fresh food and drink. Easy as pie.