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What is a wasteland? Theatre production at abandoned Moray RAF base to explore derelict sites

The Is This a Wasteland? show at Milltown Airfield will examine issues of land use across the UK. Photo: Dance North Scotland
The Is This a Wasteland? show at Milltown Airfield will examine issues of land use across the UK. Photo: Dance North Scotland

After being almost completely abandoned for nearly 40 years a derelict north-east Second World War base has become the unlikely venue for a theatre production examining Scottish wastelands.

Eerie empty factories, crumbling ruined homes and vast expanses of seemingly vacant land affect communities across the country.

Now the question of what constitutes a “wasteland” is poised to be explored in an outdoor theatre production at a former RAF base in Moray.

Is RAF Milltown a wasteland?

The production Is This a Wasteland? aims to focus minds on ways individuals can respond to the increasing demands of busy lives and a crowded planet.

It was first performed on a derelict site between London City Airport and a former flour mill in 2017.

And locations waiting demolition or redevelopment or sites that have been vacant as long as living memory have since fascinated choreographer Charlotte Spence.

RAF Milltown was constructed as a bombing decoy for nearby RAF Lossiemouth during the Second World War.

The production at Milltown Airfield will use the runways that were built during the Second World War. Photo: Charlotte Spencer.

Three runways and two hangars were built to create the appearance of an active military base to fool enemy aircraft into bombing it and not Lossiemouth.

After the conflict the site near Lhanbryde was handed over to the Navy and it was used as a deck landing training school until 1977 and then most recently as a communications station until the early 21st Century.

Today it is owned by Innes Estate and is home to many sheep, whose curiosity has been growing about the upcoming production.

Meanwhile, plans have already been approved to transform the abandoned airbase into one of the UK’s largest solar farms.

Creative producer Keren Kossow explained that perceptions of what constitutes a “wasteland” would be examined in the show.

Some buildings remain on the former Milltown Airfield from its military past.

She said: “There is a lot of politics tied up in it.

“In this case, the RAF took hold of large bits of land all over the country in the Second World War and rendered them unusable in many ways because concrete was poured into the ground.

“There are always things going on though, so we look at what’s growing here, imagining what the history of the place is and then together imagining what might happen in its future.”

What can audiences expect?

Audiences will be invited to put on headphones, which create a soundscape to encourage thoughts and experiences about the land they are on.

The production then aims to spark conversations about the ways people value space, waste, home and community.

As day turns to sunset and night, the light is used to create and destroy several different landscapes.

The immersive show will encourage the audience to consider a possible future for derelict land. Photo: Charlotte Spencer.

Artistic director Charlotte Spencer said: “Previously, my outdoor work was designed for public spaces like parks.

“Is This a Wasteland? embarks on utilising wasteland spaces that we have less access to.

“The common notion remains that wastelands are of no value until developed. By presenting the work on the very sites of change, brings the themes of the project to the places where they are living.”


Is This a Wasteland? will be staged at the former Milltown Airfield on the B9103 Lossiemouth road near Lhanbryde on Friday, September 3 and Saturday, September 4 at 6.45pm. Follow signs for HGV Training Centre and look out for signs for Rise.

More details are available on the Dance North Scotland website here.