Review: Inexperience at Pitlochry Festival Theatre | Douglas Maxwell - world premiere
- Lisa in the theatre
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Scottish playwright Douglas Maxwell debuts his new play Inexperience at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 13 June - 4 July 2026. Read my review below.
Inexperience by Douglas Maxwell ★★★★☆
Review: 18 June 2026 | Pitlochry Festival Theatre, studio
To open its 2026 studio season, Pitlochry Festival Theatre is staging the world premiere of the latest play from award-winning Scottish playwright Douglas Maxwell (Man's Best Friend, Orphans, The Sheriff of Kalamaki, So Young.)
Inexperience is a quirky romantic comedy about a couple who meet in their early twenties and decide not to sleep together, not to kiss, not to touch, but to keep the sexual tension and excitement buzzing until they meet again.
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In the 1990s, Robin (Alexander Tait) meets Iris (Sophie Fortune) at her 21st birthday party. They're attracted to each other but make a pact not to act on their feelings. They want to preserve the spark of their initial meeting, of that moment before they first touch. To do that, they agree that they can only touch once in their lives.
Thirty years later - in the present day - grown-up Robin (Sandy Grierson) is the Chief Sheriff at Glasgow Sheriff Court. He's orderly, dependable, a little boring in the eyes of his young trainee Arthur (a brilliantly realised comic turn from the talented Alexander Tait.).
When Iris (Adura Onashile) walks back into Robin's life, as the friend of someone charged with an offence, she has completely forgotten about the night they almost spent together, and their agreement... But he never has.
Sandy Grierson is exceptional as the prudent Sheriff Officer, and Adura Onashile perfect as his impulsive opposite. The pair dance around each other beautifully, playing to all sides of Pitlochry's gorgeous, intimate studio space. Sally Reid's intelligent direction ensures that the most is made of all angles of the theatre, and of the simple school-bench props. It's a fast-paced joy to behold as Iris's messy life collides with Robin's ordered existence.
Reid keeps the momentum going throughout the play; the 'will they / won't they' build-up is exciting and amusing. It's such an entertaining setup for a comedy play, and there's excellent support from both Tait and newcomer Sophie Fortune in multiple, memorable roles. There's a much deeper question about 'how to be happy' as mature adults running underneath all the gaiety in this thought-provoking new work.
Douglas Maxwell's writing is extraordinary, and the vivid characters he has created here are relatable yet melodramatic in all the best ways. This presentation of Inexperience in Pitlochry's studio theatre is magnificent, with Michael John McCarthy's sound and Derek Anderson's lighting particularly impressive.
Inexperience is a charming new comedy play and another surefire hit for the unstoppable Douglas Maxwell. ★★★★☆
Inexperience plays at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 4 July.
Also playing at Pitlochry Festival Theatre: Once. Read my review here: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/once-pitlochry-review
Find the full casting announcement for Inexperience here: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/inexperience-cast-pitlochry
MORE: News and reviews from Pitlochry Festival Theatre here: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/blog/tags/pitlochryfestivaltheatre
