England, 1945. The lives of two strangers are changed forever by a chance meeting at a railway station. But this isn’t Brief Encounter…
We’re all extras in the lives of others, but the stars of our own. What happens when you pan the camera away from the leading players? Fresh from a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, Mark Kydd’s solo show turns the spotlight onto a supporting artist with his own surprising tale of first, forbidden love.
This Valentine’s Day, celebrate LGBT+ History Month with Our Martin in the Background: the queer love story Noël Coward didn’t write.
Speaking to Scotsgayarts.com Mark Says “Our Martin…” is the story (told in flashback) of a man who recalls working as an extra during location filming for “Brief Encounter” while simultaneously embarking on a queer love affair that echoes the relationship at the heart of the film. It’s an intimate confessional piece, reminiscent in style – inits humour and Lancashire voice – of an Alan Bennett Talking Head. I was inspired to write it by a theory that Coward may have intended “Brief Encounter” as a disguised queer love story; while I’m not fully convinced this was the case, it proved an intriguing jumping-off point for a companion piece. During such a perilous time for minority lives, I think it’s imperative that new queer writing is seen and talked about, and I really want to be part of that conversation. “
With further performances of the piece planned for venues across Scotland this is LGBT History month inspired chance to see one of the hits of the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival one more time and given the intimate nature of the Story Telling Centre it’s sure to sell out! So, grab those tickets before its too late.
Our Martin in The Background, Scottish Story Telling Centre, Edinburgh, Performance on Saturday 14th February at 2pm for tickets and more information go to: Scottish Storytelling Centre
ScotsGay Arts 