The writer of a play which was born in Helensburgh has described the audience reaction as “best case scenario” as cast members prepare for their final performances of the tour this weekend.

IncludED was written by Mark MacNicol of the Creative Change Collective with help from members of Jean’s Bothy.

The play explores the issues surrounding the inclusion of children with learning disabilities in mainstream schools.

It follows Jean and Sally, two mothers who have lived experience through their own children.

They form a friendship in which they bring out the best in each other whilst campaigning for the inclusion of their children.

The tour started in Helensburgh, before visiting venues in Greenock, Oban, Dunoon, and Campbeltown.

Mark said: “The audience response has been best case scenario. When I wrote the play, I wrote it as a piece that would cater for people with lived experience and for people without lived experience.

“The audience reaction from both of those groups has been so positive that its made it all worthwhile.

“When you write any stage play, you really don’t know where it's going to land until you get to see an audience reacting to it.

“I’m a writer, director, and producer. I’ve been working in theatre and film for 15 years.

“My mainstream work, writing novels, and stage plays, it’s nothing like this.

“When you’re involved in a project where you get the opportunity to raise awareness of something as important as the inclusion of pupils with learning disabilities, all of your other mainstream projects just pale into insignificance.”

Katrina Sayer, manager of Jean’s Bothy, added: “The tour is going well and the audience responses have been amazing. 

“So many people have related to the characters of Jean and Sally which was really important to us but we are also finding those without any lived experience of the themes explored have been moved by the performances too.”

IncludED was written using the real-life experiences of parents and children living in similar situations to Jean and Sally in an effort to ensure the project’s message is put across authentically.

After each show on the tour, a Q&A has been held in which audience members have the chance to ask questions of the people behind the play and contribute their own thoughts and experiences.

Mark added: “A friend of mine once said to me, ‘the irony of good fiction is that has to be real’.

“When myself and the group at Jean’s Bothy embarked on this, we discussed the fact that lived experience was absolutely crucial.

“One member of our group has a son who has learning disabilities and is currently struggling in a mainstream school. We wanted to access as much lived experience as possible.

“The campaign that the stage play takes its name from, IncludED, there was 700 or 800 interviewed in the process.

“A lot of that is in the campaign document which myself and the rest of the group used as a resource.

“We wanted to make sure those characters were authentic.”

The final performances of the tour will take place in Glasgow on Saturday, October 22.

The Scottish Youth Theatre will host two shows, at 3pm and 7pm, with tickets available here.