The Ushers @ Tron, 18-21 Jan

Stuart Davids, director of Raindog's forthcoming The Ushers, is adamant that this production is appropriate for the current social climate. "There aren't many good, new theatre comedies," he observes. "And if people are paying to see a show, they want to go home feeling that they've had a good evening."

Raindog are one of Scotland's success stories: although they have been absent from the stage since 2002, the company moved into television and film, making the feature film Wasted in 2009 and the BAFTA nominated Tinsel Town series for the BBC. Davids actually met writer Simon Crowther when they were working together on Coronation Street: "He showed me the script," Davids remembers. "It is an intelligent portrayal of two friends, with four really strong parts."

The emphasis on the importance of the roles reflects Raindog's origins: the company came about when three actors decided that they wanted to stage certain plays, and banded together. Even now, Davids admits he is "Happy to say that Raindog are an actor-led company."

During the 1990s, Raindog were one of the many companies thrusting Scottish theatre forward after many fallow years: their AD, written by Glasgow 'poet laureate' Edwin Morgan was Glasgow's contribution to the millennium celebrations, while one of the founders, Robert Carlyle, has become one of Scotland's most high profile actors.

With The Ushers, Davids sees the company "coming full circle" back to their 1991 genesis, reconnecting with Andy Arnold who, back then "was just getting the keys to The Arches." Although on a more modest scale than the multi-media frenzy of AD, The Ushers is the welcome return of a company who have always been able to span both comedy and tragedy, stage and screen.