It’s a question that plagues most of us at some point in our lives - how are we going to make the most of our time here on earth?

The everyday decisions we make to detonate our own lives – whether dramatically changing careers, dropping everything to live in a new continent, or confronting an addiction – the smoky fall out and how we piece together a new future from the ashes make up the thrilling premise of Scots artist Jenna Watt’s new show.

How You Gonna Live Your Dash, which comes to Platform in Glasgow on January 28 and 29, is based on real life testimonies as it explores the way people live their lives and the momentous decisions they make.

“It feels bigger than anything else I’ve done, both in a practical sense, because it’s fully funded by Creative Scotland which means I can have more people around me; but also in how it has all come together, the processes involved, the pyros…it’s been really exciting,” explains Jenna.

The pyros are pyrotechnics, stage fireworks used by Jenna and her fellow performer, Scot Squad actress Ashley Smith, which have already caused a stir in rehearsals.

“They are not like ordinary fireworks which you light and have to run away and hide behind a hedge,” smiles Jenna.

“These are very safe, although with that intriguing element of danger attached. In rehearsals, it’s always exciting when we set them off – people tend to come running from all over the building to see what’s going on.”

The roots of show lie in a quotation from Into the Abyss, Werner Herzog's documentary about two inmates on death row.

One of the characters points out that on your tombstone between the words born and died and the year of each, there is a dash. “How you gonna live your dash,” he says, “is up to you.”

Jenna explains: “That was the start of it – that whole idea about how you live your life and how you are going to imbue it with meaning. And then I heard about a work colleague who had decided to dramatically change career, so I spoke to him and I became fascinated about the processes people put in motion when they think they need to change their life….”

Jenna’s research threw up some fascinating questions, which she has worked into the performance.

“People’s instincts are quite superficial – we’re told what we should be aspiring to, whether it’s a certain kind of furniture, or a wage that looks like this, or the amount of time we spend in the gym but when you have a deeper conversation about it, those instincts change. We want to be kind, or honest, or loyal.

“So what I wanted to look at is the idea that when you want to change your life, rather than doing that nihilistic thing of destroying it and walking away, could you open up to the change and make space for it to happen?”

The tour takes in the Eden Court Theatre in Jenna’s home city of Inverness – “that’s a real make-mum-and-dad-proud moment,” she grins – and venues like the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock and the MacRobert in Stirling.

Originally supported by and developed with The Arches, How You Gonna Live Your Dash has been fortunate to find a new home and co-producer in Platform, following the controversial closure of the important arts venue.

As well as a new partner, the production is also creating new links by bridging the gap between theatre and live art and touring to venues and audiences where provision for contemporary theatre can be limited.

“I’m really excited about the tour,” says Jenna. “It’s great to visit venues that might not usually have access to my work. I’m a performer, I make theatre, but I wouldn’t describe myself as an actress or a playwright. I’m an artist in the wider sense of the word, I suppose.”

Jenna’s next project tackles a subject close to her heart – the naval base at Faslane.

“This came out of all the talk about Trident during the referendum and I realised I was quite naïve about Faslane and what it was all about,” she explains.

“I have a strong family connection to the base, friends who have campaigned at the gates, and I wanted to explore my relationship to it and the wider Trident debate.”

She smiles: “It’s a lot of work, not least because the political landscape is changing daily. But it’s fascinating and I’m looking forward to it.”

How You Gonna Live Your Dash is at Platform Glasgow on January 28 and 29 from 7pm (call 0141 276 9696 for tickets, priced £8/£4.50. Visit platform-online.co.uk for further details. It will visit Eden Court in Inverness on February 2, the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock on February 3, CAST in Doncaster on February 6, the MacRobert in Stirling on February 10 and the Traverse in Edinburgh from February 11 to 13.