FOUR West Fife women are set to perform a “thought-provoking and provocative” social piece about life in Inverkeithing’s Fraser Avenue at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

Mary Thomson (41), Heather Kernachan (31), Muriel Houston (46) and Gemma Angel (25), who come from Fraser Avenue and Spencerfield Road, will perform ‘Sole Searching – A Hootenanny’, which they also wrote.

The project is an autobiographic political piece which questions their “invisibility” in the system; challenges the perception of people on benefits as “scroungers”; and celebrates their identity, class, and right to positively protest and be seen and heard.

The docudrama stemmed from a ‘provocation’, called ‘Can You Hear Us?’, organised by Inverkeithing Community Initiative, two years ago, where the women created a CD about the issues of living in Fraser Avenue, as they felt “nobody was listening to us”.

The CD in turn helped bring the regeneration of the street forward, and they then received £5000 from the National Lottery for their theatrical piece, which they worked on with Jo Ross from Fife Council’s community learning and development, and Clara Bloomfield, from Tiny Fragments Theatre Company.

The drama was also performed in Inverkeithing Civic Centre earlier this year and mum-of-five Mary Thomson said the process had been a confidence boost.

She told the Press, “This started in January when we were asking questions about benefits and welfare reform, and how the new legislation affected us.

“In the performance, we are talking about our views, what a woman is expected to be, and what the government expects us to be.

“It was challenging because it brought up a lot of old experiences. The words are our own and it was difficult to write because it hits the heart – some weeks we were greeting.

“We’re just seen as cleaners or washerwomen but we’ve got to be the carer as well – you’re like an octopus and pulled in many different directions.

“I didn’t understand the system very well previously and I always had questions why the government had such power over us.

“I still don’t understand it completely but I have more confidence to ask politicians questions and I like to get involved now. It’s given me more confidence to speak up and be heard.

“I’m quite excited about performing at the Scottish Parliament. I really want to know what the reactions are going to be because it’s the politicians who are the most important to get the words out there.” Cowdenbeath MSP Alex Rowley, who is hosting the reception and performance, has invited his fellow MSPs to attend.

He said, “It challenges perceptions of women and families who struggle to get jobs and get by day-to-day. It’s an excellent performance and I’m looking forward to my colleagues seeing it live.” Pictured, from left, are Mary Thomson, Gemma Angel, Alex Rowley MSP, Heather Kernachan, Muriel Houston, Jo Ross and Clara Bloomfield at Holyrood.