Oran Mor's Some Other Stars will be be demanding for audience

Some Other Stars, by Clare Duffy, deals with incredibly harrowing subject matter; persistent vegetative state, an illness known as Locked In Syndrome.

The play asks the audience to think about concepts which we prefer to keep buried in the deepest recesses of our minds.

What if the doctors thought you were in a persistent vegetative state but actually you could hear every word, feel every breath on your skin and sense every change of light;

What if you were buried in your own skin?

The play features Kirstin Murray and Martin McCormick.

Kirstin, who is appearing at Oran Mor for the first time, admits it’s a very demanding play, for everyone concerned.

“My character, Kath, is a carer of her husband who has Locked-in Syndrome.

“It’s also a love story. It’s about a well-established marriage and the testing of Kath and how she copes with her husband in this condition.

“This is a couple who have known each other inside out in their relationship, but now they have to ask different questions.

“She has to ask herself; what are we now? Who are we now. The entire relationship has changed.”

“What we realise is her husband is effectively buried alive.”

Locked-in Syndrome is a condition in which a patient is aware but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for the eyes.

“The play is difficult in the sense that this is a subject area you don’t want to think about.

“It’s an illness that come right out of nowhere ( it can be brought on by a stroke).”

It’s certainly not a comedy then?

“Well, it does have its moments,” she says, smiling. “This is about a marriage and there is comedy in every marriage, isn’t there?”

There must be. But this is a testing experience which life sometimes demands of us.

“Yes, if you have had to experience the death of a child you cope with it together with your partner.

“If you lose your dad, your husband will be there for you.”

But who is looking after Kath?”

Kirstin admits it’s been hard to get a handle on Locked-in Syndrome.

“But there will be people watching this play who are carers, so they will at least understand the process of having to wipe someone’s backside.”

Does the process of learning this play make the actors more aware of what they are capable of, in terms of self-sacrifice?

“Yes, it does make you think how you would be in the trenches. Would you gather your skirts and go over the top or would you lay down?”

The actress adds, in softer voice; “I guess what the play is asking is ‘How deep is your love?’”

Most of us thankfully, don’t have to answer these questions.

As an actress, does she enjoy this continual mind stretch in which she has to accommodate all sorts of demanding circumstances via the characters she plays?

“I do enjoy it and you do have to tap into the chest of drawers of emotions to come up with.

“You take your own emotions and expand them. You may have fear and worry in your normal life and you try to shut that way.

“But when you’re acting you have to call upon those feelings, and that can be demanding.”

What experiences does she call upon to come up with the role of Carer Wife?

“I don’t know . . . perhaps life, marriage, exhaustion, and children. I do have a wee lad and your child is very important and you have to factor all that in.”

She adds, pensively; “You never know what people have to deal with in life. Joy may exist on the surface, but moments of happiness are harder to come by.”

Does acting make her happy?

“Oh yes!” she says with an acted enthusiasm. “But no, you get to work with different people, try different styles and in the theatre you get to be very imaginative.”

Did she always want to act?

“I think I probably did. I had another career before I came into this, but that’s not important. I did acting at university.”

Kirstin grew up in Angus, and studied law at Edinburgh University. She went to drama college and graduated with distinction in 2004.

Since graduating she has played a range of roles in film, television, radio and theatre.

Kirstin played Dr Sawyer, in BBC Scotland’s River City. And she was a criminal lawyer in Ken Loach's film, The Angels' Share.

Her epiphany came about thanks to ‘the millennium and a kind husband.’

“I do enjoy work like this,” she says. “This play is eSpecially great because it reminds you we all have one life.

“We have to make the most of it.”

• Some Other Stars, Oran Mor, until Saturday.