Meet the Dundee woman who has created a theatre show unlike anything you’ve seen before
- Andrew Batchelor
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Dundee-born actress, director and theatre maker Sharron Devine has spent almost three decades working across the arts, building a career that has taken her around the world while remaining firmly connected to the city she calls home.
Living in Broughty Ferry and co-founding Dundee’s independent arts house Studio Space Art, Sharron has become a passionate advocate for creative opportunities, community engagement and supporting emerging artists.
Now, she is preparing to bring her acclaimed one-to-one theatre experience, The Only Way Out Is In, to Pitlochry Festival Theatre after it was selected by actor and artistic director Alan Cumming as part of his inaugural 2026 season.
Ahead of the show’s Scottish premiere, Dundee Culture caught up with Sharron to discuss her journey, the importance of Dundee’s arts scene, and what audiences can expect from a theatrical experience unlike any other.
Andrew Batchelor (AB): Hi Sharron, absolute pleasure to talk to you today! As a Dundonian actress, director and co-founder of Studio Space Art (Independent Arts House), how important is it for you to continue creating and championing independent arts projects connected to Dundee?
Sharron Devine (SD): It is probably one of the things that keeps me awake at night the most - how can I do more locally here at home to offer more paid opportunities and arts training to young people or anyone who wants to be creative.
Access into the arts system and through it into leadership is not great. The pathways are not really there. I have met so many ridiculously talented people in Dundee who are not even aware of how talented they are and without the consistent support and nurture needed, they just fall away or only get so far no matter how talented they are.
When we secured funding for our last local theatre work, it was critical to me that part of my funding application included time to work and listen within local communities in Dundee and engage a high school - my old school, St John’s High.
Many people cannot afford to access professional arts training. I was so lucky to be funded to study at East 15 Acting School in London and I never take that opportunity for granted.
It was life changing for me.
Community theatre in Dundee was how I got involved at the age of 12, so it feels very important to me to be part of that now alongside everything else I do.
When I moved back to Dundee after 20 years away, I researched the local arts scene rigorously. I felt strongly that I wanted to create something that didn’t already exist - something that was missing.
Studio Space Art was born in 2017.
Alongside producing professional theatre work, often socially engaged, we offer free arts mentoring, shadowing opportunities, access to our music studio and artist residencies tailored to individual needs.
I think things are improving in Dundee through collaboration and dialogue, but there is still a need for more spaces where artists and young people can simply be together and create.
Arts-led change is often underestimated, underfunded and undervalued, but we see the life-changing impact of it all the time. Watching somebody’s confidence grow through creativity is a beautiful thing. I believe access to the arts should be as important as access to healthcare and available to everyone regardless of background.
AB: For readers who haven’t heard of The Only Way Out Is In, how would you describe the experience in your own words?
SD: The Only Way Out Is In is a bespoke multi-sensory gift created especially for the audience member.
Think of it as an immersive journey where you pass through a portal into a world that places you at the centre of your own story. You are invited to think about urgent themes, make choices and take control of where your story goes in our experience together and hopefully beyond it.
All the while, you are taken the greatest care of.
AB: Your show is designed for one audience member at a time. What inspired you to create such an intimate theatrical experience?
SD: I’ve been making theatre for almost 30 years and specialising in this kind of micro work for 16 years all over the world.
I first worked with a Danish theatre company between 2010 and 2014 before being commissioned in places including New York, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Liverpool, Sheffield, Coventry and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
In 2024 I received Creative Scotland funding to create a new work in Dundee called Dud Hopes (Kryptonite). It sold out and was beautifully received by Dundonians, which was a huge relief.
The Only Way Out Is In was originally commissioned by playwright and artistic director Chris O’Connell of Theatre Absolute in Coventry and premiered during UK City of Culture 2021.
Chris commissioned me as one of seven artists to be part of an ambitious three-year season called Humanistan, inspired by writers including Ben Okri, François Matarasso and Benjamin Zephaniah.
AB: Alan Cumming has selected the show for his inaugural season at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. What was your reaction when you found out your work had been chosen?
SD: I was working in Sofia, Bulgaria, assisting on a theatre project when I was invited to meet Alan to discuss the details further once I returned home.
This will actually be my debut at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, so I am pretty delighted and really excited to be part of Alan’s inaugural season with my own work.
Alan has been nothing but kind to me.
This type of theatre doesn’t often make it into mainstream programming, so I am pretty chuffed that Alan has been so open to it and supportive of this craft.
AB: The show is described as a multi-sensory journey. Without giving too much away, what can audiences expect when they step into the experience?
SD: Traditional theatre often starts with the script or words at its centre.
My one-to-one works always begin with the human being and the space I am creating for them. From there I build the themes, colours, sound, visuals, design, atmosphere and even smells together. No one element is more important than another.
My work focuses on what we have in common as human beings rather than our differences.
You should expect to be fully present and hopefully resonate with what is happening around you. Stepping outside our comfort zone is often where the magic lives, so come and give it a try.
AB: You mention taking great care of each participant throughout the performance. Why was that sense of care and connection so important to build into the show?
SD: I am asking my audience to take a risk and come out of their comfort zone to spend time alone with me in the experience.
Taking care of them is therefore paramount and sits at the very heart of the work. It is not designed to scare people. Quite the opposite.
It is gentle, supportive and welcoming. I want people to have the best possible experience and I think many people are needing real care right now.
In a world that can often feel faceless through technology and social media, this work is the opposite. It is micro, bespoke, quiet, considered and rooted in kindness.
AB: You’ve spent almost three decades working in theatre. How does The Only Way Out Is In differ from anything you’ve created or performed in before?
SD: When I first encountered this type of performance, I assumed it would simply be another freelance acting job.
Instead, it completely changed my life and the direction of my work.
Working this closely with audiences gives me a direct understanding of how people are feeling. It feels like a real conversation where positive change is possible.
I am aware that many people feel powerless, out of control, worried about the future and concerned about the planet.
This work offers care in response to those feelings. Because the audience member is so close to both the themes and to me as an artist, it is impossible for us not to leave an imprint on one another.
That is what makes it so special.
AB: The title itself is intriguing. What does The Only Way Out Is In mean to you, and what conversations or reflections do you hope it sparks in audiences?
SD: I think we can all be a little braver about looking inside ourselves for the answers we often search for elsewhere.
As I get older, I am learning to trust my own wisdom, voice and instincts more.
Working closely with audiences for so many years has taught me that many of the answers we seek are already within us if we are willing to listen.
The themes of the work include nature, power, control, balance, risk and trust.
I hope audiences reconnect with some of those ideas within themselves and leave with a fresh perspective that they can carry into their own lives.
A Dundee artist taking centre stage
For Sharron, this latest chapter represents more than a successful theatre production. It is another opportunity to showcase the talent that exists within Dundee’s creative community and demonstrate how locally rooted artists can make an impact on stages around the world.
The selection of The Only Way Out Is In by Alan Cumming for his inaugural Pitlochry Festival Theatre season is a significant recognition of both Sharron’s work and a form of theatre that rarely receives mainstream exposure.
With audiences experiencing the performance one person at a time, it promises to be one of the most unique productions in Scotland this summer.
The Scottish premiere of The Only Way Out Is In runs at the Pavilion in the Explorers Garden at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 17-21 June and 24-28 June, with performances taking place throughout the day between 11am and 4.30pm.
Running for approximately 25 minutes, tickets are limited and organisers say the production is already approaching half capacity.
