A lesson in what can link us despite huge divides

↑ Made in China features Amber Lin as factory worker Hue Ting and Jo Freer as Wishaw mum Janet

Oran Mor, Glasgow JJJJ

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh JJJJ

In a sense, it’s a familiar 21st century urban legend. Most of us have seen the tabloid tales of people who find a note hidden in one of the endless packages of manufactured goods we import from China; often a cr y for help, or a desperate plea to publicise terrible working conditions.

I n M a d e I n C h i n a , A l i c e Clark’s debut play for A Play, A Pie, And A Pint, though, the story is given a twist, as Janet in Wishaw online shopping for the perfect string of fair y lights for her daughter’s 16th birthday – discovers that the box contains not a letter, but a scribbled account of a household monthly budget, for a single mother and her teenage daughter.

Meanwhile, on the other half of the stage – and at the opposite end of the same cluttered table – we see Hui Ting, a production line worker in the Chinese fair y lights factor y, desp e r a t e l y t r y i n g t o n av i g a t e the strict disciplinary system of the company, and to earn enough to set up a business of her own. It’s the sheer drama of Hui Ting’s situation that drives the narrative of Clark’s play, up to the point where the stories of the two women suddenly collide, in a moment – for Janet, at least – of horrified realisation.

In Philip Howard’s perfectly-paced pro duction, full of movement and dynamism, as well as powerful entwined m o n o l o g u e s , Jo Fr e e r a n d Amber Lin deliver two superb p erformances as Janet and Hue Ting, both living under pressure without their par tn e r s , wh o n e ve r l o s e t h e i r sense of humour while striving to do their ver y b est for their girls. The late MP Jo Cox used to say that we humans have more in common than what divides us, and this powerful play offers a persuasive vision of how the lives of women can coincide, despite the huge social and geographical distances between us.

One of the great things about youth and childho o d is the way our imaginations tend to leap across those distances, often fixing on distant figures as the people we dream of meeting, and want to become. In Victoria Beesley’s gorgeous new monologue for children of primar y school age, Kissi n g L i n f o r d C h r i s t i e , o u r young heroine – Vicky herself at some performances, fellow actor Ellinor Larsson at others – decides at the age of seven that her hero is the runner Linford Christie; and that one day, she will compete at the Olympics, like him.

D e s p i t e s o m e v o i c e - o v e r advice from her hero, though, the truth is that Vicky/ellinor is not ver y good at athletics; moments of triumph elude her, and eventually she has to give up her dream. What e m e rg e s , t h o u g h , i s a g o r - g e o u s , w i s e a n d c o l o u r - ful show ab out how to find f r i e n d s a n d b u i l d a wo r t h - while life; and how to find out what your real talents are, and what makes you happy.

Vi c k y / E l l i n o r ’s t r a n s i t i o n from primar y to secondar y school is complicated, offering guidance and consolation for children facing that challenging moment; and the quality of Victoria Beesley’s writing, Alysa Kalyanova’s design, and a warm and welcoming pro - duction by Rosalind Sydney and Shilpa T-hyland, make Kissing Linford Christie a gorgeous and worthwhile experience, both for children around six to ten, and for the adults who care for them.

Made In China at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 11-15 October. Kissing Linford Christie at Lyra Theatre, Edinburgh, 11 October, and on tour until 5 November. Details: www.catherinewheels.co.uk