LATER this month, a very different type of production treads the boards of the Dolman Theatre as Newport Playgoers present the stage adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s book Trainspotting.

It is perhaps most famously remembered as Danny Boyle’s 1996 film featuring Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle. Set in the late 1980s, the story follows a group of Edinburghbased heroin addicts as they struggle against urban poverty and squalor.

The film was a huge hit upon release and Boyle hopes to repeat the success again shortly with a sequel.

However Playgoers director Jes Hynes thought it was also an appropriate time to present the stage version of Trainspotting to Newport audiences and invited me along to rehearsal last week for a special preview.

As I sat down to see the early run through I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Yet over the following three-quarters of an hour I witnessed scenes told with anecdotal narrative as well as multi-dialogue that were humorous, harrowing, tremendous and traumatic.

There’s no doubt that nearly two decades on from the film’s initial success the story still strikes a chord and will have a sense of appeal to younger theatregoers as well as those who saw the film back in the 1990s.

Jes feels Trainspotting carries a certain optimism but unlike the film, the stage version doesn’t glorify drug use.

“It’s not what the play is about,” he tells me. “There are no winners and it reflects a gritty reality.”

To bring such a play to life, Trainspotting requires a stellar cast of performers which Jes, along with assistant Nathan Lodge, has recruited.

Ryan Salter (Sick Boy), Catherine Morgan (Alison) and Emma Brunnock (Lizzie) are all familiar faces on the Dolman stage, having each given strong performances in productions in recent years and will be seen perhaps playing their most challenging roles to date.

They are ably joined on stage by three further talents – Stuart Fouweather (Frances Beyby), Jonathan Dunn (Mark Renton) and Stuart Moss (Tommy).

The drama naturally features scenes of mature content so is not suitable for younger audiences, but promises to be a stage event with the focus very much on characterisation and performance.

Following one scene featuring a moving performance from Catherine, I watched the cast pause for reflection, clearly moved by delivering a powerful script. “How do you compose yourself after that?” I asked. “You just keep going” responded Stuart Moss.

Practice really does appear to make perfect.

Trainspotting is at The Dolman Theatre from June 19 until June 22.
Tickets are available from box office on 01633 263670 or by visiting online at dolmantheatre.co.uk