Mentored to fill the PPP producer's chair

The premise of the operation was simple. Put short new plays on at lunchtime for a week on a minimal budget, throw a glass of what you fancy and a pie of your choice in with the ticket price, and see what happens. Up until then, there was little history of lunchtime theatre in Scotland, but A Play, A Pie and A Pint's quick turnover of work quickly became a must-see phenomenon, its cheap and cheerful philosophy pre-dating austerity culture and going against the grain of glossier fare.

Many works first seen at Oran Mor went on to have theatrical lives beyond their spiritual home, and ongoing partnerships were forged with companies ranging from the similarly pocket-sized Bewley's cafe theatre in Dublin to the National Theatre of Scotland. Much of the success of A Play, A Pie and A Pint was down to MacLennan's shrewd charm, an ability to recognise a good idea when he saw one, and a knack for working with talented people.

One of those people was Armitage, who began working as MacLennan's deputy producer at Oran Mor in 2008. Since MacLennan sadly passed away last year, Armitage has stepped into her mentor's shoes, and the season of a staggering nineteen plays that opens next Monday with Anne Hogg's play, Butterfly, will be her first full season as A Play, A Pie and Pint's sole producer. Under MacLennan's guidance, and with a huge supportive network of collaborators beside her, Armitage effectively graduated through a unique theatrical boot-room to take up her new role, even as she continues to work with the innovative Vox Motus company, who she also produces.

"I really miss David," says Armitage once her meeting is over, "but I've been working with him for so long on A Play, A Pie and A Pint that it's something I really want to carry on doing. I miss him on a personal level, and I also miss the working relationship we had. One of the wonderful things about David was the way he took risks and took a chance on people if they had a good idea. David had faith in me, so hopefully I can carry on with his ethos."

The nineteen plays that make up the new season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint features new writing by familiar PPP names such as Sandy Nelson, Davey Anderson and Paddy Cunneen, as well as work by less well known artists. Some of the work being shown was developed by writers who were part of the Traverse Theatre's Traverse 50 initiative, and there will also be Gaelic language take on Whisky Galore and a series of works from Russia and the Ukraine. Later in the season there is also the first sighting of a new play by poet and novelist Alan Spence for some time.

No Nothing is PPP's first collaboration with Aberdeen Performing Arts, and imagines a celestial meeting between poet Edwin Morgan and trade unionist Jimmy Reid.

"It's beautifully written," says Armitage, "and has these two iconic figures having this political flyting in a way that is really quite magical."

There are further collaborations with Ayr's Gaiety Theatre and Sherman Cymru.

"We're trying to build up how we work with other venues," Armitage says, "and how we get scripts from elsewhere. The international collaborations we do were one of the things I was originally brought in to try and develop, so now we have the Russian and Ukrainian plays, which have been in development for ages, and we've lots of other things in the pipeline as well."

Originally from the Black Isle in Cromartyshire, Armitage studied Scottish Literature and Theatre Studies at Glasgow University before working in the admin department at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow during current executive producer of the National Theatre of Scotland, Neil Murray's tenure in charge of the building. At the time, having an executive producer running an organisation rather than a rehearsal room-based artistic director was relatively rare, and Armitage learnt much from the experience before she joined MacLennan on the recommendation of playwright, composer and PPP regular, Cunneen.

"It was a completely different way of working," Armitage says of her arrival at Oran Mor. "It's not like working in a building or with a company that has a big marketing department, but one of the great lessons I took from David is the ability to say yes. If you've got a good idea, just do it, and get as much work onstage as possible. It's also great being able to work with companies who do have more resources than us in terms of development. That way I think we can get the best of all worlds."

With this in mind, this season also somewhat remarkably sees A Play, A Pie and A Pint produce its 350th play. For the occasion, Armitage and co have teamed up with the Philadelphia-based Tiny Dynamite company, who adopted the PPP model for their own work, and have performed some of the plays first seen in Glasgow.

"It seems fitting somehow that we do an American play from their programme," says Armitage. "Tiny Dynamite have been so supportive of what we do, so it's important to develop a two-way relationship."

Armitage is keen to spread the Play, Pie and Pint net even wider.

"My aim is to keep the basic model," she says, "but to try and develop more relationships.

I think it's important to keep the ethos, the heart and the momentum of A Play, A Pie and A Pint in much the same way as we have been doing, and to build on that. I think it's important too to keep the political edge of A Play, A Pie and A Pint, in whatever form. There's something about the rawness and immediacy of getting work on so quickly that makes it really direct. A Play, A Pie and A Pint will always be David's baby, but I think it has its own personality and weight now to go forward and continue everything he started and try and make it even better."

The Spring 2015 season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint begins at Oran Mor, Glasgow on January 26 with Butterfly by Anne Hogg.

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