Enough of Him (Modern Plays)

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But after a successful appeal, judges at the Court of Session in Edinburgh made the landmark ruling that slavery was not recognised in Scotland and he should be a free man. In a first-time collaboration between National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Enough of Him will open at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, in their new studio space, from 20 October to 29 October before touring to CatStrand, Castle Douglas; Platform, Glasgow; Lanternhouse, Cumbernauld; The Brunton, Musselburgh and Perth Theatre from the 1 to 19 November 2022. Joseph’s journey to freedom wasn’t easy, as initially the Justice of the Peace Court in Perth sided with John Wedderburn. Rachael-Rose McLaren embodies the unloved wife of Wedderburn, turning to stomach-churning acts of self degradation to grasp the attention of her husband. For his part, Matthew Pidgeon spits insulting prose deftly. The twisted aristocrat crumbles as the play progresses and Pidgeon commands deadly silence as this unfolds. But the walls of Ballindean do not keep secrets — their affair unsettles Lady Wedderburn, whose bitter loneliness is only deepened by the close bond her husband has with Knight. Joseph will endure bondage no longer. What happens when Joseph’s dreams clash with those of the man who owns him? What becomes of us all when past brutalities bleed into our present realities?

Even in the modern world, it’s very difficult to truly be a ‘good’ person when buying clothes that might have been made by modern slave labour, or when taking actions that harm the environment.I remember watching a film called Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce about the passing of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. enough means 'as much as necessary'. It can be used with an adjective, an adverb, a verb or a noun. It can also act as a pronoun. With adjectives and adverbs But the walls of Ballindean do not keep secrets - their affair unsettles Lady Wedderburn, whose bitter loneliness is only deepened by the close bond her husband has with Knight. Joseph will endure bondage no longer. What happens when Joseph's dreams clash with those of the man who owns him? What becomes of us all when past brutalities bleed into our present realities?

Catriona Faint plays the role of Annie, a young Scottish servant in the Wedderburn household who has a close bond with Joseph Knight. Catriona has most recently performed in The Tempest (Tron Theatre) and ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore (Sam Wanamaker Festival). Written by Glasgow-based writer May Sumbwanyambe, this compelling domestic drama is a thrilling exploration of power and its attendant tensions: between those who are enslaved and those who are free, servants and masters, and husbands and wives. It’s refreshing to have these uncomfortable truths thrust at us. It’s not an easy watch, but Enough of Him compels in its staging of the life of Joseph Knight – the man who established that Scots law did not recognise slavery, as he planned for a life outside of the stately home of his once Master, John Wedderburn. Actor Omar Austin, who plays Joseph, said it was this relationship which gave Knight the determination to fight for his rights. Sumbwanyambe previously wrote The Trial of Joseph Knight, a drama focussing on the trial and its case, which was broadcast as a radio play on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.

About the contributors

Enough of Him is written by May Sumbwanyambe and directed by Orla O'Loughlin and opens in Pitlochry before touring Scotland in October and November 2022. In the compact quarters of the new Studio at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, the horror and fraught dynamics of the Wedderburn mansion close in on the audience, the set (Fred Meller) mostly sparse, barring a pronounced centre table and an oversized Perthshire landscape portrait of Loch Katrine looming upstage before the quartet ensemble of John Wedderburn, wife Lady Margaret Wedderburn (Rachael-Rose McLaren), maid Ann Thompson (Catriona Faint) and enslaved servant to the Wedderburns Joseph Knight. Physical proximity to the piece demands vulnerability of the detail, every velvet overcoat and staunch stays (Fred Meller) along with every wince or eyebrow raise in sharp focus. Written economically in spare, fragile scenes, Enough of Him refuses to be celebratory, even though the historical Knight set a legal precedent in 1778 by persuading a court that slavery was not permissible under Scots law. Rather, it is fractious and troubled, a game of chess that cannot be won.