National Theatre of Scotland announces 2024 programme

Extraordinary stories told by exceptional Scottish talent

• National Theatre of Scotland has announced an exciting new season of work for the coming year.
• A year of world premieres, tours and work at all scales, on stages across Scotland, England and beyond, a programme of work for younger audiences, plus artist’s residencies, events, a touring exhibition and film and digital projects. 
• Four world premieres, the return of two hit shows, back by popular demand, three productions at the Edinburgh Festivals and nine touring productions. 
• Touring to 45 venues across 28 locations in Scotland, England and Europe. 

Jackie Wylie, Artistic Director said: “We are delighted to be offering audiences a packed theatrical programme in 2024 with, thrilling new productions alongside acclaimed shows that we have brought back by popular demand. 

“We are proud to honour icons and celebrate artists that help define and shape our cultural identity. As Scotland’s National theatre company, who tour tirelessly throughout Scotland, we want to bring a sense of community togetherness, pride in our nation’s creativity and the chance to have a brilliant night out, for audiences, locally or indeed further afield. 

“We are acutely aware that we continue to live in challenging times. Global politics, the aftermath of the Covid years and the cost of living crisis all have ongoing impacts for the creative and cultural industries and the brilliant Scottish artists who create theatre with us. 

“National Theatre of Scotland has always held a lens up through which we can view ourselves, as a nation, as a society and never more so than in this programme. Through the sharing of important stories, that tell us about ourselves, we explore our shared humanity.

“Climate activism, youthful protest, the enslaved Joseph Knight who made his bid for freedom, the great Billy Connolly, the Margaret Thatcher years, working class culture, teenage Cosplay, Country music, masculinity and the late great Beldina Odenyo all share the spotlight in our 2024 programme. 

“Young people hold a special place in our programme. We are committed to ensuring they are involved with the National Theatre of Scotland from Primary School onwards, through our productions with Theatre in Schools Scotland, our touring work to venues and through participation in projects with leading theatre-makers. 

“We thank our partners, our supporters and funders, the venues we are touring to, the artists, the crews and the freelancers who make our work, all those who participate and most importantly our audiences who energise us through their commitment and enthusiasm for the joy of theatre.” 

NEW PRODUCTIONS 

• THE FIFTH STEP, a thrilling and provocative new play written by David Ireland and directed by Finn den Hertog. The taut two-hander features Jack Lowden, returning to Scottish stages for the first time since his theatrical debut in Black Watch in 2010. The Fifth Step will preview at Dundee Rep Theatre before opening at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, for a week’s run as part of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival and then end with a week’s run at The Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow in August 2024.   
• JUNE CARTER CASH: THE WOMAN, HER MUSIC AND ME, a new play written and performed by Charlene Boyd sharing the story of one of country music’s most iconic voices: June Carter Cash, directed by the multi-award-winning Cora Bissett. June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me opens at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe ahead of a tour of Scottish cultural venues.   
• THANK U, NEXT, a new dance theatre piece exploring the contemporary culture of cosplay, created by leading radical performance collective 21Common working with teenagers across Scotland. They will produce four unique productions presented at schools in Glasgow, Cumbernauld, Grangemouth and Lochgelly, for a run of public performances in February and October 2024 and then again in March 2025. Each production will be directed by 21Commoners Lucy Gaizely and Gary Gardiner, and performed by a mixed group of professional performers, school pupils and young collaborators who were involved in the original development of the piece. 

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED  

• MAGGIE & ME, is a bold and explosive new production based on Damian Barr’s award-winning and darkly witty memoir about growing up gay in Thatcher’s Britain, adapted by Damian Barr and James Ley, directed by Suba Das. Opening at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow, before touring to Inverness, Perth, Cumbernauld, Dundee, Northampton and Edinburgh in Spring 2024.  Full creative team announced. 
• DEAR BILLY, a love letter to the Big Yin returns to Scottish stages after a successful tour of Scotland in 2023. Written and performed by Gary McNair, and directed by Joe Douglas, this critically acclaimed celebration of Billy Connolly will be heading to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness before coming to the Assembly Rooms as part of the Assembly Festival programme for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. 

NEWLY ANNOUNCED – RETURN OF AN AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION 

• ENOUGH OF HIM, the incisive and emotive, award-winning and critically acclaimed play based on the true story of Joseph Knight returns to stages in 2024. Enough of Him, written by May Sumbwanyambe and directed by Orla O’Loughlin with Omar Austin reprising his role as Joseph, will open in Edinburgh in October 2024 before touring to Dundee, Aberdeen, Chichester and Coventry. A co-production with Pitlochry Festival Theatre 

IN ASSOCIATION WITH PRODUCTIONS  

• AN ACCIDENT / A LIFE, an exciting new collaboration between Marc Brew and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The semi-autobiographical piece has its world premiere at Holland Dance Festival in February 2024 before arriving in Glasgow for the UK premiere at Tramway in March 2024 ahead of further European international tour dates.  
• SHŌ AND THE DEMONS OF THE DEEP, a timely new production for younger audiences aged 8 and over, from Independent Arts Projects (IAP) in association with National Theatre of Scotland. Shō and the Demons of the Deep is a visual adventure story about overcoming fear, climate crisis, and how the actions of one generation can affect the next, written by Zoë Bullock and directed by Shilpa T-Hyland, touring across Scotland in April and May 2024.  
• TERO BURU, a new play by the late, great Beldina Odenyo has been posthumously interpreted by Beldina’s sister, Leah McAleer and directed by Julia Taudevin. Beldina’s friends and collaborators have joined together with Leah to bring Beldina’s debut play to an audience. Tero Buru will be performed in Glasgow in autumn 2024, with full details of dates and venue to be announced. 
• PROTEST, Natalie Ibu’s acclaimed production of Hannah Lavery’s new play embarks on a new tour across the UK, following a successful tour in 2023. Presented by Fuel, Imaginate and Northern Stage in association with National Theatre of Scotland, the show takes a timely look at the right to protest from the perspective of three young girls. Opening in Edinburgh in January, then touring to Newcastle, London, Nottingham, Harrogate, Cambridge, Colchester, Coventry, Poole, Plymouth and Exeter until March 2024. 
• All 2024 productions will be produced to the Theatre Green Book intermediate standard with 75% of all materials having been pre-used. 

DIGITAL/BROADCAST/ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE/CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT  

• A new short film by multi-disciplinary artist Gillian Katungi, who creates work under the name of PAIX, produced in partnership with the Africa in Motion Film Festival, inspired by her album Metamorphosis: Feeling My Way (to Freedom). 
• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, director Hope Dickson Leach’s new version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story, co-written with Vlad Butucea, will be screened at the Victoria Film Festival in 2024 and can still be viewed on Sky Arts. Adapted from the original novella and relocated from London to Edinburgh, this film is a coproduction with Selkie Productions, supported by Screen Scotland and Sky Arts. 
• Two new artists in residence Ross Mackay and Guy Woods will develop new plays and Alison Burnley and Ellie Davies from RiffRaff Producing will take up their role as artists in residence in the Highlands in partnership with Eden Court Theatre. 
• A further two new artists in residence, Roisin McLinden and Eoin McKenzie will develop community inspired work for the Company’s Neighbourhood project in North Glasgow. 
• A packed programme of Artist Development and Creative Engagement opportunities – including new digital productions to be added to NTS’ Education Portal, Creative Career insight sessions for High School students, First Night opportunities for community groups across Scotland, a special creative industries event as part of the BBC’s Bring the Drama festival at Rockvilla and Portraits of an LGBTI+ Generation exhibition continues to be shown at Western General Hospital until summer 2024. 
• Theatre in Schools Scotland continues bringing world class theatre to primary and secondary school pupils in their schools. Five productions will be touring in 2024. Poggle by Barrowland Ballet; One of Two by Jack Hunter, presented by Independent Arts Projects; Ginger presented by Tortoise in a Nutshell; Cloud Man by Constellation Points/Ailie Cohen and Lewis Hetherington, presented by Scottish Theatre Producers and Going for Gold: Me and Linford Christie by Victoria Beesley, presented by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company. 
• Theatre for a Fiver tickets available across the majority of productions and venues for 14 to 26-year-olds and those on low-income benefits.