Dumbstruck! DJCAD alumnus returns to the Rep

The lure of daytime TV, a few extra hours in bed, or the enjoyment of - and recovery from - the effects of alcohol are enough to distract even the most conscientious student from their studies. But for former DJCAD student David Kane, it wasn't a raging hangover or Richard & Judy that distracted him from his coursework, but a passion for writing that has resulted in a hugely successful career. This month he is back in Dundee, watching one of the fruits of his labour being revised at the Rep theatre.

Written in 1992, David's play 'Dumbstruck!' was first performed ten years ago at the Tron theatre and went on to a highly successful tour around Scotland. Set in Glasgow in 1965, the play focuses on a group of odd-ball music hall and variety performers who are all hoping to swap the low-life of the theatre for the high-life of celebrity stardom.

David says, "When I was growing up, the traditional variety shows and music halls were dying off, but I remember watching variety shows on television and some of the stars made a big impression on me at that time."

But it's not just as a playwright that David has made his name since leaving the department of Drawing and Painting in 1981. Having gone on to take a writing course at the National Film School he got his major break after winning the National Screenwriters award at the age of 25. 'Shadow on the earth' - his winning screenplay - went on to be produced by the BBC and it was after that that his writing talents became more widely recognised. He says, "Without wanting to sound cynical, it was amazing how my scripts suddenly became much more interesting to people after I had won the award - it meant that my work was taken much more seriously."

Although he continued (and continues) to work in television, David branched out into writing, and directing, films. 'This year's love', which he wrote and directed and which starred a plethora of young British acting talent, including Dougray Scott and Kathy Burke, is the film that he is perhaps best known for - but he didn't expect it to be such a mainstream success. "I didn't expect 'This year's love' to be so popular or successful. The reason I moved into screenwriting was to continue making low budget art-house type films, as television had become more and more dominated by the senior executives who didn't encourage the type of creative work that I do. So for the film to be so well-liked by so many people was a pleasant surprise."

Despite that success, he was not tempted to try his luck in Hollywood, saying, "I think the whole scene over there is a real rat race and I would never want to get caught up in it. Besides, you write what you know. I always include Scottish characters in my work and I like using the Scottish vernacular so my style of writing doesn’t really lend itself to being produced by one of the major studios."

Clearly, David has come a long way since leaving DJCAD, but influences from his time in Dundee played a large part in helping him to pursue his ambitions as a writer. He says, "When I was a student Liz Lochead and John Byrne were writers in residence at the University. They really encouraged me with my writing and that gave me confidence about my abilities and the fact that I wanted to go in a different direction from the path I was on as an artist.

I had a lot of positive influences at Duncan of Jordanstone, two of my most influential tutors were Joseph McKenzie and Alberto Morocco and I'm still in touch with some of my friends from the time who now teach at the college. One of the first plays I ever wrote was during my time at art college and it was put on during the Edinburgh festival by the college drama group."

As well as the upcoming revival of 'Dumbstruck!' at the Rep, David has a number of new projects in the pipeline, including a six part TV series called 'The Disciples' and a film called 'The River King' set in Nova Scotia, Canada.

So, if he is not prepared to abscond to Hollywood, what are the chances of him returning to Scotland on a permanent basis? He says, "I think the combination of lottery funding, plus a few more high profile actors has helped the Scottish film scene quite a bit, it is definitely much healthier than it was 15 years ago. But I like the multicultural aspects of London, which you don’t find so much of in Scotland, so I don’t have any plans to move back for good just yet."

'Dumbstruck!' runs at the Rep until Saturday 17th April. For more information call the box office on (01382) 223530.