The Brenda Line

Written by Harry Mould

It’s early evening in a middle–of–nowhere town when Karen walks into a call centre to begin her first night shift as the youngest Samaritan in the country. She’s decided she needs to help people, and maybe write a best-selling novel in the process, but what she hadn’t expected was Anne – her elderly shift partner, and the evening’s resident ‘Brenda’… 

Inspired by real-life events in their mother’s teenage life, as well as the lesser-known history of the Samaritans in the 1970s and ’80s, The Brenda Line is a story about women, love, and listening.

The Samaritans was one of the first phone helplines dedicated to reduce feelings of isolation and disconnection. It was built on the principles of being non-judgmental and there to listen. But what happens when a caller is looking for more than conversation?

Harry’s debut play opens in August as part of the Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Summer Season 2024.