Clydebuilt, Those Who Held the River

"You don't realise what’s holding you up...till it's no’ there anymore."

Joe worked on the Clyde when the river built ships that travelled the world. The yards gave him purpose, belonging and pride. Together, men and women built lives, families and communities that would outlast the ships themselves. The yards were more than an industry—they were a way of life.

Inspired by conversations with former shipyard workers, Clydebuilt is a moving new one-man play about work, identity and loss. Through Joe's memories, we step into a world built on skill, humour, friendship and the belief that what you did mattered.

Clydebuilt celebrates the people behind one of Scotland's greatest industries while reflecting on the decline of a way of life that shaped communities across the country. Rich in humour, memory and lived experience, it explores what remains when the work disappears— and what we might carry forward from those who once held the river in their hands.