The surprise Christmas show for an audience of one

There's a buzz of activity in this normally quiet Dundee cul-de-sac; actors scurry to their places, props are pushed into place, and neighbours gather, shuffling their feet to keep the winter chill at bay.

Dundee Rep Ensemble are ready for their first Christmas show of the year - not to a packed auditorium, but to just one special audience member.

George McPherson, who is 102 years old, was nominated for a theatrical treat by his neighbours, who say he is "loved by the whole street".

George is delighted by the show, a potted version of A Christmas Carol - the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future swirling around the street over the course of 15 minutes.

"I'm speechless," he says. "I never expected anything like this, it's absolutely wonderful."

George said he was "delighted" by the surprise Christmas show

This is the first Dundee Rep Present, a series of four performances by the ensemble and the Scottish Dance Theatre for seven individuals, put forward by their friends and families.

If performers can't take to the stage this Christmas, the theatre reckoned, why not take the stage to the audience?

Andrew Panton, Dundee Rep's artistic director, says: "Present really reminds us of the vitality and the spark of live theatre and allows us to shine a light in these really dark times.

"It's a really counterintuitive thing to close your theatre and to say to people, don't come.

"Because what we spend our lives doing is trying to welcome as many different kinds of people from as many different backgrounds.

"But that's what we had to do."

The Dundee Rep ensemble performed for 102-year-old George McPherson in his street

Undeterred, the theatre put together a collection of festive online and community events, in addition to the surprise performances, to maintain its strong links with the Dundee public.

Mr Panton said the theatre was "inundated" with nominations for Present.

He said: "It was quite a difficult and sometimes harrowing experience going through these submissions.

"There's a lot of people who have been through a lot of things this year, and many who would not want to live this year again."

Emily Winter said the ensemble had been missing live performance "dreadfully"

Ensemble member Emily Winter said she had been "excited and nervous" before the performance, which she described as "such a lovely project to be part of".

She said: "It's a little bit heart-breaking that we're not on stage doing what we normally do, we're all missing it dreadfully.

"But at the same time, I think this is such a great idea and it's important to be doing something live."

Ms Winter, who wrote an online murder mystery series performed by the ensemble this year, said nothing could beat "face-to-face, in-the-flesh drama."

Many of the cast reprised their roles from Dundee Rep's 2017 Christmas show

She said: "We have such a great, supportive audience in Dundee and everyone's had a really hard year, so to be able to give even just a little bit back is really important."

Back in the cul-de-sac, George is given three cheers by his neighbours before being taken back into the warmth of his home.

Neighbour Laorag Hunter said: "George looks out for everybody, he takes an interest in all our lives and it was just nice to do something for him."

She said the show had not just been a special surprise for George, but a "great opportunity for everyone to connect".

Laorag Hunter said the show had allowed the neighbourhood to reconnect

"We haven't been seeing each other, the days are shorter, people haven't been going out so much," she said.

"It was really nice to be together and laughing and engaging and enjoying something together.

"It lifted everybody's spirits. We'll talk about this every year from now on."

George was nominated by his neighbours, who say he is "loved by the whole street."