WHEN Nathan Scott-Dunn first started writing a play about Hibernian FC’s 2016 historic Scottish Cup victory, he didn’t think he’d end up performing the show at Easter Road.

But six years on, with sell-out Fringe shows and rave reviews that’s exactly what the 26-year-old has done.

The Saltire Sky production follows four young men from Leith who try to pay back a gangster they borrowed money from in order to buy tickets to the 2016 final, a game which saw Hibernian beat Rangers 3-2.

The award-winning dark comedy has found success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the Leith Arches as well as Birmingham.

READ MORE: How a Scots play about Hibs Scottish Cup win is packing out theatres five years on

Now, Scott-Dunn, who wrote, directed and previously starred in the show, is set to take on the home of Hibs – and has his eyes set on the rest of the UK too.

“It’s been a long time coming,” the Scottish playwright said of the much-anticipated show. “Being a theatre company trying to break into the world of football there’s always that barrier.

“As much as there’s a stigma around football and football fans, they have their own stigma towards the theatre world because it’s not as accessible to them so they don’t know much about it.

“You automatically had that clash there so we did find it a bit of a barrier to get through to Hibs at the time. But once they got in a room with us and saw what the show was about they were extremely helpful and happy to have the show there.

The National:

Bailey Newsome, middle, has taken over from Nathan Scott-Dunn as the new star of 1902

“They really wanted to be a part of 1902 and what we were doing.”

Scott-Dunn said his aim is to make theatre more accessible to the working class and he hopes this show will open it up to football fans as well. He said the club agreed a bar within Easter Road would be a perfect fit for the play, which itself is set within a bar.

Scott-Dunn isn’t the first in his family to play at Easter Road. His dad played for the team in the 80s while the actor himself also played in the academy as a teen. This time, he isn’t taking to the pitch though.

Asked if it was a dream come true to play inside the stadium, he told The National: “If you had told me that when we first took this play into rehearsals in a small room at the wee red bar that we would be doing an arena tour I would have told you you were mental. It is a dream come true for the show.

The National: A des res near Easter Road in Edinburgh will cost you £218,730

1902 is taking on Easter Road this April

“It’s almost like a homecoming. I know it’ll be really special, and it’ll be special for the audience to relive the moment with us at the home of Hibernian FC where our show is rooted, where the community is rooted. This is probably the one place in the world where if you asked me where we want to take it this would be it. This would be its home really.

“I think it says a lot about the success of the play. We had to fight a lot of barriers to get to the stage now to even having the conversation about taking the play to places like Easter Road. We have a fantastic following and I think people are really resonating with the themes of the play and what we are trying to do as a theatre company, highlighting issues in the working-class community.

READ MORE: Play aims to tackle drug stigma and misinformation in Scotland

“I think we are fighting the stigma at the highest level, proving that working-class theatre has a place among the big boys and I think that’s incredibly important.”

Saltire Sky has now started a fundraising campaign to take 1902 on the road across the UK, with an aim to bring the play to the most deprived areas across the country.

1902 will be performed in the Edinburgh Suite of Easter Road from April 7 – 10 and all tickets come with a free pint.

A link to the fundraiser can be found here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/1902-uk-tour and tickets can be purchased here: https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/article/1902-play-comes-to-easter-road