Curated and directed by Cora Bissett and Hannah Lavery
With visuals by Lucas Chi-Peng Kao
A one-night-only response to the times we are living through, presented by a host of leading Scottish artistic talent from the fields of theatre, music, poetry, comedy and dance.
On 1 May at Edinburgh Central Hall at 7pm.
Featuring Comedy:Sanjeev Kohli (Still Game) / Tia Rey; Music: Dala by Heir of the Cursed performed by Djana Gabrielle / Cora Bissett, Kathryn Joseph and Joan Clevillé & Kassichana Okene-Jameson of Scottish Dance Theatre/ Kitti / Loud and Proud Choir / Soapbox / Declan Welsh; Poetry: Shasta Hanif Ali / William Letford / Michael Mullen; Theatre & Dance; An artistic response to Talat Yaqoob’s International Women’s Day Speech (2026) – led by Janice Parker / Apphia Campbell / Reuben Joseph / Hannah Lavery / Uma Nada-Rajah / Sara Shaarawi / Dawn Sievewright performing It’s No a Weans Choice
Live band: Isaac Savage (keyboards/vocals) / Adam Scott (bass) / Djana Gabrielle (guitar/vocals) / Signy Jacobsdottir (drums and percussion) / MJ McCarthy (musical direction)
Two of Scotland’s leading artists and theatre-makers, Hannah Lavery and Cora Bissett, join forces to create an urgent multi‐form evening of theatre, music, poetry, comedy, film, dance and collaborative performance at Central Hall, Edinburgh, on 1 May.
Created as a rapid-response theatre project, in direct response to the turbulent social and political climate, they have curated and gathered together a constellation of Scottish artists for a one-night-only flare of short, urgent performances and interventions.
Through new work, unique collaborations and community voices, Mayday meets the “dark times” we are living through with wit, defiance, tenderness and imagination. This collective response honours the theatrical space as a place where audiences can think together, dream together and begin to imagine the futures we are still reaching for.
Co-curators/co-directors Hannah Lavery and Cora Bissett said: “Given the times we are living in—where division is being fuelled by dangerous and deliberately misinformed rhetoric— we feel deeply and personally connected to this Rapid Response Project.
“We are living through an age of fear: extreme racism and anti-migrant sentiment are being normalised, human rights attacked at every level, climate injustice accelerating, and ordinary people struggling to meet even basic needs.
“We’re thrilled to curate an event that will bring together bold, fierce, insightful and creatively galvanising voices from across Scotland – an urgent celebration of our shared humanity that challenges the rising tide of hate, calls upon solidarity, inspires change and imagines a more compassionate future.”
Highlights include:
Original short sharp plays from playwrights Apphia Campbell(The Official Version), Hannah Lavery (Patriotic Renewal), Uma Nada-Rajah (The Proposal) and Sara Shaarawi (Pandora’s Box)
Sanjeev Kohli delivers a short sketch on the cultural impact of his character Navid from Still Game
Live music from Declan Welsh, Soapbox and Djana Gabrielle, who honours Beldina Odenyo’s (Heir of the Cursed) Dala with a powerful, intimate performance that moves between vulnerability and defiance.
Cross-artform collaborations including Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award winner Kathryn Joseph’s powerful new collaboration with dancer Kassichana Okene-Jameson, visuals by Lucas Chi-Peng Kao, choreography by Joan Clevillé, and direction by Cora Bissett. Joseph’s haunting, fragile songs intertwine with movement in a visceral fusion of music and dance. Created in collaboration with Scottish Dance Theatre.
Collaborations between professional artists and community groups:
An Artistic Response to Talat Yaqoob’s International Women’s Day Speech, Edinburgh, March 2026 led by award-winning choreographer and dance maker Janice Parker.
Loud and Proud Choir
Dawn Sievewright (Wild Rose) performs No a Weans Choice, the defiant rallying cry from the Glasgow Girls stage show, composed by Cora Bissett
Reuben Joseph (Orphans – NTS, Hamilton the Musical) performs a new version of Robert Burns’ A Man’s a Man.
Listings information
Friday 1 May 2026, Central Halls, Edinburgh, 7pm (doors from 6.30pm)
The exhibition brings together work by five artists, MV Brown, Nina Davies, Gavin Gayagoy, Hardeep Pandhal and Gregor Wright, who all explore our relationship with technology and the internet and how, as a medium or material, its slippery nature creates spaces of inauthenticity where curated versions of ourselves blur and distort reality, and algorithms and applications construct fictional narratives or environments to play with or react against.
Spanning performance, moving image, sculpture and drawing each artist creates a user experience that highlights the friction existing between our physical body and its digital counterpart, with authorship and representation disrupted or rendered through computer generation.
Rooted in performance, MV Brown’s practice uses the human body and new technologies to explore the tensions that exist for the body within a digital realm.
Using avatars, prototypes, and ‘false-self’ hoods, MV extends and replicates their body to question how technological advances – often framed as enhancing cognitive and bodily capacities – mediate emotion, interaction, and the construction of identity as beings-in-the-world both online and ‘IRL’ (In Real Life).
Nina Davies’ artistic practice is heavily influenced by her former training and career as a professional dancer. Her work looks at how dance is disseminated, circulated, made, and consumed within popular culture with a particular focus on social media, and the dances derived from trends and films made for present-day digital platforms. Much like MV her work touches upon how bodies are evolving in a world dominated by synthetic media.
Multi-disciplinary artist and designer Gavin Gayagoy uses game design elements to explore how digital environments influence perception, truth, and identity as well as highlight the compulsive consumption of digital content and its impact on us.
Visitors are invited to interact with his work in the exhibition and explore a range of both familiar looking and futuristic landscapes. Through these fragmented 3D environments and limited game mechanics, Gavin questions the authenticity of our digital lives and the contradictory nature that being online can bring.
Hardeep Pandhal has also used the visual aesthetics of gaming in his work as a means to comment on cultural production, capitalism and racial stereotypes as perpetuated through everyday popular culture and categorization.
Whilst conservative opinions of gaming often focus on its contribution to societal ills, here the bleed between games and reality could be seen to provide a space where varying forms of alienation can be addressed and co-opted, creating a form of empowerment and a means to comment on societal inequalities in a transformative way.
Also included in the exhibition are a number of works by Gregor Wright. Predominantly a painter, Gregor has created a body of work that looks at current modes of image consumption as mediated by algorithms and advancing technology.
Presented together are a selection of Gregor’s recent drawings made using graphite pencil, crayon, acrylic and oil and one of his digital ‘screen-based paintings.’ With the rise of AI-generated artwork Gregor highlights the tensions that lie between traditional painting and the virtual digital representations that increasingly dominate our lives.
Launching in Edinburgh at the Collective Gallery, Calton Hill on Friday 20 March from 10.30am to 4.30pm, the exhibition will tour to arts venues, community centres, high streets and schools across Scotland.
Louise Briggs, Curator, Travelling Gallery said: “It has been interesting to think about our ever-increasing relationship with technology through the ideas and artworks of the five artists involved in the show.
“The exhibition is not meant as a criticism of technology but takes a closer look at its slippery nature where reality can be blurred and authenticity distorted. A number of the artists in the exhibition play with these ideas, whilst others push against them – but all in some way are using technology as a material or medium.
“The Travelling Gallery team look forward to introducing the artwork and ideas to audiences across Scotland as part of our Spring Tour and seeing how opinions and thoughts may differ geographically, generationally, and culturally.
“Everyone usually has an opinion on technology and its place in the world today, we look forward to some healthy discussions around it inspired by the work of this exciting group of artists.”
Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “Featuring work by five talented artists, this exhibition offers an insightful look into our relationship with technology and the internet.
“The Travelling Gallery plays such an important role in ensuring that high-quality contemporary art is not limited to traditional venues. By bringing exhibitions into communities across the city, it helps widen access and encourage new audiences.
“I’m proud to support an initiative that broadens access to culture in such a practical and meaningful way, and I hope people will take the chance to step inside and experience the exhibition for themselves.”
The exhibition will run from Monday 23 March – Friday 19 June 2026. More information about confirmed tour dates and venues can be found here.
In times of crisis, access to the arts is not a luxury — it is essential. It gives young people a voice, builds resilience and offers joy and connection when the future feels uncertain.
For over 18 years, Leith-based charity Strange Town has provided life-changing access to the arts for hundreds of young people across Edinburgh each year.
Through youth theatre groups, holiday programmes, film skills workshops, stage management experience, a Young Company and professional agency support, the organisation nurtures the next generation of Scotland’s creative talent — many of whom would not otherwise have access to these opportunities.
Strange Town is committed to creating meaningful professional pathways for early-career artists — opportunities that are increasingly rare in today’s funding landscape. All artists and practitioners are paid fairly and supported throughout.
The charity also extends its impact beyond Edinburgh, enabling local performers to progress to stages in London’s West End and onto the small screen and major streaming platforms.
This March, the charity shines a spotlight on its Young Company (18–25), returning to Summerhall following previous sell-out runs with a newly commissioned production:
Aphrodite Rogue
by Eleanor McMahon
Set in a near-future Edinburgh, Aphrodite Rogue follows four flatmates navigating heartbreak, climate dread and a flat that is quite literally falling apart. When one of them begins to suspect that something — or someone — is quietly sabotaging their lives, tensions rise in this sharp, timely comedy about love, uncertainty and the importance of trying again.
Mission of Innocents has opened a new Creative Arts Centre at Ocean Terminal in Leith, offering a safe, welcoming space where resettled children and families can come together, express themselves and begin to thrive through creativity.
The centre will be home to Mission of Innocents’ programmes using art, music, movement and storytelling to help children and families who have lived through war, displacement and crisis feel safe again, build confidence and reconnect with childhood.
Last night’s opening was marked by a special event attended by Deputy Lord Provost Lezley Marion Cameron, alongside members of the High Constables of Leith and the Consular Corps. The evening included the unveiling of a commemorative installation and a performance by children supported by Mission of Innocents.
Mission of Innocents was founded in 2022 by Joyce Landry, whose company, Landry & Kling, managed two ships brought to Scotland to accommodate Ukrainian families fleeing conflict. Witnessing first-hand the profound impact that war and resettlement were having on children far from home, Joyce was moved to act.
What began as a small, urgent response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis has since grown into a mission supporting children and families from many different cultures and backgrounds affected by conflict, climate disasters and political crises, including families from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Sudan.
The new centre gives the charity a permanent base in Scotland, allowing it to support more children over a longer period of time, with free classes and programmes running throughout the week.
Among the young people supported by Mission of Innocents is Dmytro Miskova, who arrived in Scotland after fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Dmytro’s first home in Scotland was onboard the MS Victoria, docked in Govan, where hundreds of Ukrainian families were temporarily housed. Arriving frightened and unsure of what the future would hold, he struggled with the uncertainty of starting again in a new country.
It was through a poetry performance organised for families onboard that Dmytro first connected with Mission of Innocents. The experience became a turning point, helping him rediscover confidence and a sense of identity beyond his circumstances.
Now living in Coatbridge and attending secondary school, Dmytro is thriving and hopes to pursue a career in aircraft engineering. His journey reflects the wider impact of Mission of Innocents’ work, creating safe spaces where children who have experienced resettlement can rebuild confidence, form friendships and begin to look forward again.
Joyce Landry, Founder and CEO of Mission of Innocents, said: “Mission of Innocents started because I saw children who had lost their sense of safety, routine and joy. They had been through things no child should experience, and there was very little support focused on how they were feeling.
“Through simple creative activities, we began to see changes, children opening up, making friends, laughing and smiling again.
“What began with Ukrainian families has grown to support children from many different backgrounds, all carrying their own stories. This centre gives us a place where children and families can feel safe, be themselves and begin to thrive, and that means everything to us.”
Nataliia Pidruchna, Director of Children’s Programmes at Mission of Innocents, said: “Creative arts give children a way to express feelings they don’t yet have words for. Through art, music and movement, we see confidence grow, friendships form and smiles return.
“I’ve worked with children in Ukraine and here in Scotland for years, and I’ve never seen anything break down barriers in the way creativity does. One little girl I worked with barely spoke at all, she had become completely silent. Over time, through dance and movement, she slowly began to find her voice again.
“It’s for children like her that we do this work. This centre will be a place where children feel welcome, supported and free to be themselves, and where families who’ve been through incredibly hard times can begin to thrive together.”
Since 2022, Mission of Innocents programmes have reached over 800 resettled children, providing vital support across Scotland and beyond, with clear improvements seen in confidence, wellbeing and social connection.
***CASE STUDIES***
For many children, the journey with Mission of Innocents began onboard the MS Victoria and the MS Ambition, and continues today on land in Edinburgh and across Scotland – a journey from fear and upheaval to belonging, rebuilt through creativity.
These are children who fled war, left behind homes, loved ones and familiar routines, arrived in a new country without the language, and began again in temporary accommodation. Through art, music, movement and performance, they have found ways to process trauma, rediscover their voices and rebuild confidence.
The stories below show how young people have moved from receiving support to leading, performing and contributing – strengthening wellbeing, restoring cultural identity and forming lasting community connections:
Dmytro Miskova
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, millions of families fled their homes almost overnight. One of them was Dmytro Miskova, then just a schoolboy whose world revolved around theatre rehearsals, poetry clubs and years of dedicated taekwondo training.
Within weeks, everything he knew had gone. Forced to leave his home, his friends and the life he’d built, Dmytro arrived in Scotland not knowing what would happen next. He spoke some English, but he didn’t know a single person. He was scared but he was also quietly determined to make the most of this unexpected new chapter.
His first home in Scotland wasn’t a house or a flat, it was the MS Ambition I, the large cruise ship docked in Govan, Glasgow, which temporarily housed hundreds of Ukrainian families arriving in the UK. It was there, surrounded by other resettled families all trying to adjust to a new reality, that Dmytro first came across Mission of Innocents.
At the time, Dmytro was just 10-years old. He arrived in Scotland with his mum, Mariia, leaving behind a family in Ukraine.
Life on the ship was safe, but it was uncertain and everyone was adjusting. Everyone was waiting to find out what came next. Not long after arriving, Dmytro signed up to take part in a poetry performance organised for families onboard. He has been engaged with poetry since around the age of six or seven, reciting and performing in Ukraine, and has continued to develop this talent and interest in Scotland. Standing up in front of a room full of strangers in a new country, speaking in a different language, felt completely different to Dmytro. He was nervous, but he did it anyway.
That moment, on a ship docked in Leith, far from home, changed everything. Through Mission of Innocents, Dmytro began getting involved in theatre sessions, creative workshops and volunteering opportunities. It wasn’t just about keeping busy for him, it was about rebuilding confidence, feeling seen and being known for his talent and not just his circumstances.
Slowly, he found his feet, like many other children on the ship. He made friends with other young people he had first met on the ship – friendships that have lasted well beyond those early days, and he embraced life in Scotland.
Now 14 years-old, and living in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Dmytro is in his third year at Coatbridge High School. He’s settled, focused and ambitious for his future.
His dream is to become an aircraft engineer, inspired by a lifelong fascination with aviation and how planes work. He is determined to build a future here, not just for himself, but to give back to the country that gave him safety when he needed it most.
From a frightened young person arriving in an unfamiliar country to a confident young man with big plans for the future, Dmytro’s story shows what can happen when resettled children are given the right support, creative outlets and belief.
Mariana Aleksandrova
Mariana was 13-years-old when she joined Mission of Innocents onboard the ship, having taken on caring responsibilities for her younger sister during a period of upheaval.
When invited to join the Harmony Choir, she said simply, “I love to sing.”
She is now a soloist and event host at major performances, a powerful example of how creativity can help a young person rediscover confidence and identity.
Nadiia
Arriving in Scotland at 17-years-old with a strong musical background, Nadiia’s artistic journey was disrupted by displacement.
Through fundraising support, Mission of Innocents helped secure her traditional Ukrainian instrument, the Tsymbaly, enabling her to perform again.
She now contributes live music to community and cultural events, restoring both her artistic identity and cultural continuity.
Platon
Platon joined the programme aged seven while living onboard the accommodation ship. Initially a participant in arts sessions, he began proposing ideas and, with staff support, leading short creative workshops himself.
Today, he mentors peers in craft activities, demonstrating early leadership, creative confidence and a progression from participant to co-creator.
Diana
Diana, a trained ballroom dancer, joined the programme in 2023 and established new dance and cheerleading groups for teenage girls, later expanding sessions to younger children and mothers. Her work has strengthened peer networks, supported wellbeing and created sustainable, community-led activity beyond the initial resettlement phase.
Daniil Yudin
Daniil, a talented young performer with an operatic voice, has returned to the stage and resumed playing piano through Mission of Innocents, continuing to build his musical future in a new country.
Lena and Vika Chernovy
Twin sisters Lena and Vika were 10-years-old when they joined the programme after arriving in Edinburgh. They discovered a passion for dance through groups including Flowers of Ukraine and MyWay. Today, they perform at a high level and hope to pursue dance professionally.
Kateryna
Kateryna was five-years-old when her family relocated to Edinburgh. Now nine-years-old, she is active in the Harmony Choir, dance groups and creative workshops. Her mother says she has grown into a confident child with strong friendships and a renewed sense of joy.
To learn more about Mission of Innocents, please visit:
SCOTLAND’S CULTURE HUSTINGS 2026will be the only chance to hear all the main political parties set out their values and vision for Scotland’s cultural future at this critical moment.
The event is chaired by Halla Mohieddeen and features:
Angus Robertson, Scottish National Party
Euan Davidson, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Malcolm Offord, Reform UK Scotland
Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
theSpaceUK has announced the first wave of shows on sale for the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, offering an early snapshot of a programme rooted in bold new writing, distinctive solo performance and genre-spanning cabaret and musicals.
Elsa Jean McTaggart marks 15 years of touring with #SHORN, a music-led theatre piece that combines original songs and spoken reflections, performed with long-time collaborator Gary Lister. Triple Lutz Productions’ Dear Michelle Kwan is a darkly comic coming-of-age story set inside a hyper-competitive figure skating rink, where teenage rituals, obsession, and girlhood collide.
Solo storytelling features prominently. In A Cat in a Box, Tom Nemec delivers an autobiographical play exploring love, trauma and recovery within a dysfunctional family, while Raising Cain Productions’ award-winning thriller The Night Ali Died reconstructs a single catastrophic evening through multiple perspectives.
Julie Flower returns following a five-star Fringe run with Grandma’s Shop, a multi-character solo show blending family history, subculture and community, set in a Sheffield second-hand clothes shop in the late 1980s.
Dark ensemble work is represented by Minotaur Theatre Company’s And The Little One Said, a late-90s-set black comedy in which a summer holiday unravels into violence and moral collapse. Political satire arrives in January 6th The Musical, where two aspiring performers attempt to sing and dance their way out of alleged involvement in the US Capitol insurrection.
From Italy, Action Theatre presents Democrazy, a physical-theatre, mask-led examination of populism and dictatorship, dedicated to Alexei Navalny.
The first on-sale announcement also includes cabaret and musical theatre. Canada’s The Cheesecake Burlesque Revue, winners of Best Large Group at the 2024 Burlesque Hall of Fame Awards, celebrate 20 years with a body-positive variety spectacular. Vocal trio The Sundaes return with Diva Las Vegas, a short-run cabaret celebrating iconic divas, while Thank You for the Muesli offers an ABBA-inspired musical comedy with pun-heavy exuberance.
Musical theatre highlights include Music & Murder By…, a darkly comic new musical set at a writers’ retreat that turns fatal, and Spraywatch: A Beautiful Rescue, an unauthorised 90s-inspired seaside musical comedy from Low Fat Productions.
I Made You a Mixtape by Response Theatre Company is a movement-led dance theatre piece set at a 1990s dorm party, using popular music to explore friendship, identity and memory, with each performance shaped live in response to sound.
Summerhall Arts announce first seven shows of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 programme – now on sale – including premieres from acclaimed company Wonder Fools, in collaboration with Theatre SAN, and award-winning company YESYESNONO
Clockwise from top left: PUTTANA (Credit: Stefano Pradel), LANDSFRAU (Credit: Cornelius Reitmayr), Tether 인연 (Credit: Kaugain Jang), SAND
Acclaimed Glasgow-based theatre company Wonder Fools (Òran; Alright Sunshine) premieres Tether 인연, a vibrant Scottish-Korean collaboration with Theatre SAN
Award-winning London company YESYESNONO (We Were Promised Honey!; Nation) returns to Summerhall to premiere new storytelling show by Sam Ward
Leading Danish queer art company HIMHERANDIT (Mass Effect; Champions) brings new physical theatre show, GOOD ENOUGH?
Keith Alessi’s much-loved show, Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life, returns for a fourth festival in a row after three sell-out runs
Acclaimed Devon-based company Kook Ensemble explores lives of people living with Dementia with non-verbal circus theatre show, SAND
Fringe debutant Beatrice Festi and TeatroE ETS premiere bold immersive solo performance with PUTTANA
Mariann Yar brings moving feminist perspective on Afghanistan and its diaspora with solo show, LANDSFRAU
Home of boundary-pushing performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, arts charity and year-round cultural hub, Summerhall Arts has announced the first seven shows of its 2026 festival programme on sale NOW.
Following a hugely acclaimed and multi-award-winning inaugural festival programme last year, the first batch of shows in Summerhall Arts 2026 programme spans theatre, dance, circus, music and storytelling from artists and companies hailing from Scotland, Afghanistan, Denmark, England, Italy, and the United States.
Part ceilidh, part storytelling, and an all-round good night out; acclaimed Glasgow-based theatre company Wonder Fools (Òran; Alright Sunshine; The Kelton Hill Fair) premieres Tether 인연 – a bold new collaboration with South Korea’s Theatre SAN. Spanning sixty years and three generations, Tether 인연 weaves together folk songs, love letters and war stories – tracing the invisible threads that bind two nations together in a shared experience of music and memory.
Award-winning company YESYESNONO (We Were Promised Honey!; Nation) returns to Summerhall with a brand new prophetic storytelling show. Written and performed by Sam Ward, the show is a hallucinogenic journey through a world of anomalies – about holes appearing in the ground and about prices that go up and up. Sam urges audiences to continue trying to understand what’s going wrong in a world that refuses to be understood.
Award-winning Danish queer art company HIMHERANDIT (Mass Effect; Champions) returns to Summerhall with a brand new performance celebrating imperfection, queer joy, and the courage to find your tribe. GOOD ENOUGH? is a queer, quirky and boisterous physical theatre performance about reclaiming your story and having the courage to be loud, awkward and unapologetically yourself.
Fringe legend Keith Alessi returns to Edinburgh with his much-loved comedy-musical-storytelling show, Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life, for a fourth festival in a row after back-to-back-to-back sell-out runs. Told with warmth, humour and banjo music, this highly awarded, internationally toured, and inspirational true story is about overcoming obstacles, pursuing passions and the healing power of the arts.
Through donations, including 100% of all artist fees, Keith has raised over $1.2m dollars as of December 2025 for various charities including cancer charities and arts organisations, and all proceeds from the 2026 run will contribute to Summerhall Arts.
Acclaimed Devon-based company Kook Ensemble brings SAND – a new non-verbal circus theatre show exploring the lives of people living with Dementia.
Set against Devon’s dramatic coast line, SAND combines exceptional acrobatics with meticulously crafted storytelling to create a profoundly moving and resonant theatrical experience.
Fringe debutant Beatrice Festi and TeatroE ETS bring a bold new immersive solo performance with PUTTANA. A work that questions the things society has normalised and the boundaries between body and commodity, PUTTANA sees a single actress give voice to five characters, through a uniquely delivered combination of music and words, to tell an uncomfortable and cruel story.
Afghan theatremaker Mariann Yar brings her solo show, LANDSFRAU, a story of a life shaped by war and distance.
Moving between 9/11 and 2021, Mariann dismantles images of Afghanistan and builds her own counter-archive through songs, dance and memories – exposing a feminist perspective on Afghanistan and its diaspora. LANDSFRAU is about attempting to let go of inherited guilt without taking on more, offering an intimate of diasporic life, marked by both deep fractures and undeniable privilege.
This is the first of three programme announcements ahead of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 7th – 31st August. The remainder of Summerhall Arts’ festival programme will be announced on 31st March and 6th May.
The festival’s FULL programme including workshops, folk films, and storytelling will be announced on Tuesday 17 March, thanks to support from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation.
Opening this year’s festival at Potterrow, is multi-award winning, trad music powerhouse RURA (below)performing tunes from their 15-year-long repertoire; and Scottish newcomers Astro Bloc (Eryn Rae, Paul Jennings, Éadaoin Ní Mhaicín, Gillie Ó Flaherty) playing an exhilarating mix of tunes that push boundaries to create a thrilling new sound.
Also headlining is ‘velvet-vocalist’ Kim Carnie; The Furrow Collective, (Lucy Farrell, Rachel Newton, Emily Portman, Alasdair Roberts) playing contemporary versions of folk songs against a Cantastoria of visuals on a moving scroll; RANT (Anna Massie, Lauren MacColl, Bethany Reid, Gillian Frame) playing a mix of all-time favourites and tunes from their brand new album; and the Brian Molley Quartet celebrating the Scottish roots of jazz.
Additionally, acclaimed singer, composer and live-looping artist GANNA Gryniva presents her new album UTOPIA which mixes Ukrainian folk tunes, with Peruvian grooves, jazz-tinged arrangements and electronic soundscapes.
Finally, closing this year’s packed festival is Scottish supergroup Session A9 (Charlie McKerron, Kevin Henderson, Gordon Gunn, Adam Sutherland, Marc Clement, Brian McAlpine, David ‘Chimp’ Robertson) – an unmissable gig by a group reputed to be one of the best live bands in Scotland.
Other must-sees include:
• Séamus and Caoimhe, beautiful blood harmony, dexterous instrumentals and energetic Irish dancing, all from two incredibly talented young people.
• The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter, a vaudeville act from the 1920s looking back on the beginnings of country music, with Montreal based songwriter Li’l Andy taking on the fictional persona of “Hezekiah Procter”, a long-lost legend of old-time music. This piece is accompanied by musicians from Sheesham and Lotus & ‘Son, who combine harmony vocals, fiddles, banjos, and sousaphone.
• This year’s festival commission is A’ Chiad Litir (The First Letter) led by captivating singer songwriter Josie Duncan from the Isle of Lewis.
• The festival Spotlight event which gives a platform to new artists each year. Bands for 2026 include: Curlew, Dauntless and old-time fiddle and banjo duo Jeri Foreman and Ruth Eliza.
Music highlights from this year’s early evening programme which kicks off at 6.30pm each night include:
• Fiddle player Laura Jane Wilkie and folk guitarist Ian Carr
• Master of the melodeon Tim Edey
• The Nexus Project featuring Bede Patterson who explores contemporary and ancient Highland Bagpipes. With creative and experimental contributions from Dean Garrity, Ewan Johnston, and Roan Anderson.
• Multi-award-winning harp and percussion duo Eleanor Dunsdon and Gregor Black.
• Deiseil: Dancing in Time – a powerful exploration of the revival of stepdance told through fiddle, feet, Gaelic song and story. Directed by Gerry Mulgrew, with dancing by Alison Carlyle and music by Amy Geddes. This 5-star show premiered during the Edinburgh Fringe in 2025.
Other early evening trad/folk bands programmed for 2026, that are making waves on the international scene include:
• Old-time stringband The Onlies a collective of Gen Z folkies originally from Seattle.
• String trio Northern Resonance who take Scandinavian music in a new direction with their mix of explosive rhythms and grand chamber-like arrangements. They play viola, Nyckelharpa and Hardanger fiddle.
• Rajasthani folk trio SAZ whose repertoire encompasses centuries-old folk music, passed down the generations.
• Banjo-playing singer-songwriter from Montreal Kaïa Kater. Her music reflects ties to the Canadian folk music scene, her college years spent in West Virginia, and growing up in Grenada.
In addition, we will be celebrating World Play A Strathspey Day on Saturday 2 May with Laura Jane Wilkie, Madeleine Stewart, Sam Mabbett and Angus Lyon; and enjoying an afternoon performance of Isla Ratcliff’s reimagining of Vivaldi’s four seasons.
Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producers of Edinburgh Tradfest said: “It’s such a tonic for a dreich February to look forward to the warmth of May and such a dazzling line up of trad and traditionally-inspired music at Edinburgh Tradfest.
“We have carefully curated a programme that has something for everyone. Included are the very best musicians from Scotland who are currently carrying our traditions forward in myriad exciting ways.
“We are also delighted to be welcoming a wide variety of touring musicians from Ireland, India, Sweden, Ukraine, Canada and the United States. Whether you love song, tunes or beats, jazz influences, classical inspiration or a straight ahead Strathspey, we have you covered.”
Participating Musician Josie Duncan who is leading this year’s special commission said: “It’s a total honour to be creating this year’s special commission. As artists, we’re often involved in a wide range of musical projects, so having the time and space to slow down and create something entirely new feels incredibly special.
“I feel very lucky to be exploring the powerful work of Marie Maitland and to be working alongside historian Ashley Douglas who has brought this work to light.”
Participating musician and co-programmer Laura Jane Wilkie said: “Tradfest is a wonderful exhibition of the quality in folk and traditional music in all its glorious cultures and subcultures.
“It is an inclusive and beautifully curated festival and heralds the transition from spring to summer in the capital city. Delighted to be a part of it.”
Edinburgh Tradfest 2026 will run from Friday 1 May – Monday 11 May.
Full programme announced on Tuesday 17 March 2026.
For tickets and more information visit edinburghtradfest.com
Marking Muriel Spark’s Birthday on 1 February 2026
A new production of David Harrower’s adaptation of Muriel Spark’s classic novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is set to tour Scotland in 2026
The production is directed by Vicky Featherstone and features Gayle Rankin as Jean Brodie
To mark the birthday of author Muriel Spark on 1 February, new images will be released of Gayle Rankin, in the iconic role of Jean Brodie, shot by renowned photographer Rankin.
A National Theatre of Scotland Production
Presented in partnership with The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Adapted by David Harrower from the novel by Muriel Spark
Directed by Vicky Featherstone
Featuring Gayle Rankin as Jean Brodie
Touring Scotland from 02 October to 07 November 2026.
Previews and opening at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh before touring to The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow; His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen and Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
Opening performance at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh on 9 October 2026.
National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre is bringing one of Scotland’s most iconic and enduring Scottish literary characters to the stage, in a brand-new production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. This production will mark 60 years since the premiere of the original stage version.
Adapted for the stage by acclaimed Scottish playwright David Harrower from Muriel Spark’s much-loved novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is directed by Vicky Featherstone and features Gayle Rankin making her National Theatre of Scotland debut as the charismatic Jean Brodie.
To mark Muriel Spark’s birthday, born in Edinburgh on 1 February,1918, National Theatre of Scotland is releasing newly commissioned images to promote this new production. The photos were captured by Rankin in his studio in London.
Gayle Rankin, photographed by Rankin.
Born in Edinburgh in 1918, Muriel Spark he wrote 22 novels including The Driver’s Seat, Memento Mori and The Girls of Slender Means with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie being the best known of her works.
First published in the New Yorker and reissued in volume form in 1961, the novel is set in Edinburgh in 1936 with the central character based in part on a teacher at Muriel Spark’s Edinburgh school, James Gillespie’s School for Girls. The novel was subsequently adapted for stage, film and television.
Gayle Rankin is a Tony Award-nominated Scottish performer well known for her role as Sheila the She-Wolf in the hit Netflix series GLOW. Gayle recently finished a run on Broadway as Sally Bowles opposite Eddie Redmayne in the award-winning production of Cabaret (Tony nominated).
Other TV credits include House of the Dragon and Perry Mason (HBO). Film includes Alex Garland’s Men, Amazon’s Blow the Man Down, Bad Things and The Greatest Showman. New York theatre credits include Sam Gold’s Hamlet and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Taming of the Shrew.
Gayle Rankin said: “Working with the legendary photographer Rankin was an incredible experience.
His deep curiosity as an artist, alongside Vicky Featherstone and me, helped crack open the earliest beginnings of our Jean Brodie—approaching her not just as an icon, a myth or character, but as a real woman for our time. We were thrilled to start this journey with Rankin’s lens on her.”
Rankin is a British photographer, publisher, and film director.
Best known for work that is on the cultural cusp and leading future trends, he has produced rule-breaking campaigns for brands such as Rolls Royce, Unilever, L’Oreal, Lego, and Samsonite; creating wide reaching projects for charities including Women’s Aid and Macmillan; and shooting music videos for the likes of Miley Cyrus, Rita Ora and Kelis.
As a photographer Rankin’s portfolio ranges from portraiture to documentary. He has shot The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner and Zendaya to name only a few. In 2023 Rankin photographed King Charles III to mark the monarch’s 75th Birthday for The Big Issue magazine.
As a publisher, Rankin co-founded the seminal magazine Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack in 1990 and has since published the likes of AnOther and AnOther Man, alongside over 40 books, and the fashion and culture publication Hunger. His photography has been published everywhere from his own publications to Elle, Vogue, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone, and Wonderland, and exhibited in galleries globally, including MoMA, New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Gayle Rankin, photographed by Rankin
Rankin said: “It was a thrill and a privilege to be invited to capture the extraordinary Gayle Rankin in the iconic role of the dangerous but alluring Jean Brodie. Her power as an actor brought an electric theatricality to the shoot as can be seen in the final images.
“It was fantastic to collaborate with the National Theatre of Scotland on this production, which I hope I can get to see later this year.”
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
‘Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life’
At the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, junior-school teacher Miss Jean Brodie is, famously, in her prime.
Each year, Brodie selects her ‘set’. The crème de la crème of girls whom she will shape through art and politics, stories of sexual liberation and titillating glimpses of the women they could become. In return, she demands utter loyalty from them all.
Witty, seductive and swirling in contradictions, Brodie’s mythical ability to invent her own truths and manipulate her girls ultimately leads her to risk everything.
In an adaptation by David Harrower, which sharpens the knives of Spark’s extraordinary work, and with a cast led by Gayle Rankin (Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway, and TV’s Glow & House of The Dragon and The Greatest Showman), this visceral production takes a head-on look at the enduring moral fascination with such a beguiling and dangerous character.
“The crème de la crème of Brodie adaptations”
The Theatre Times on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Donmar Warehouse, 2018
This is the first time that David Harrower’s adaptation of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has been performed in Scotland, having been originally staged at the Donmar Warehouse in 2018 to critical acclaim.
The original 1966 London stage adaptation was by Jay Presson Allen (Marnie, Cabaret). Scottish productions include Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 1985 and 2009 and at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in 2003.
Gayle Rankin played one of the schoolgirls in The Lyceum production and this 2026 production marks her homecoming to Scotland’s stages.
Vicky Featherstone, director, said “20 years after we made our first tentative steps towards what a National Theatre for Scotland could be, I am honoured to be part of this year’s celebrations, with what is undoubtably one of the most iconic characters and stories ever written.
“It is testament to Spark that this story penned in 1961 Edinburgh, feels as sharp, as shocking, as thrilling, as alive as it did on publication and is an incredible opportunity to exalt the exceptional theatre artists and celebrate Scottish audience’s unbridled passion for theatre that gave us the courage to begin all those years ago.”
David Harrower is an Olivier Award-winning and Tony-nominated Scottish playwright and screenwriter. Plays include Blackbird (Olivier Award for Best New Play and Tony nominated), Knives in Hens, Kill the Old, Torture Their Young (Traverse Theatre), Six Characters in Search of an Author, 365, Calum’s Road (National Theatre of Scotland). Film & TV work includes Una, Outlaw King, Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth and the forthcoming The Day of the Jackal Season 2.
Vicky Featherstone was the founding Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, and she returns to direct The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie with the company, following a decade as Artistic Director of London’s Royal Court Theatre. Theatre credits include: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Enquirer (National Theatre of Scotland); Shoe Lady, The Glow (Royal Court); The Outrun (Royal Lyceum Theatre for Edinburgh International Festival 2024). Her production of Krapp’s Last Tape with Stephen Rea recently played in NYC following an earlier presentation at Barbican, London and Pavilion Theatre, Dublin in 2025.
Touring in 2026 to The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh (Previews Fri 2, Mon 5-Thu 8 October) Fri 9 October to Sun 18 October; The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow Wed 21October to Sat 24 October; His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Thu 29 October to Sat 31 October; Pitlochry Festival Theatre Wed 4 November to Sat 7 November 2026.
For the first time ever, Impact Arts is launching a manifesto ahead of the 2026 Scottish elections.
Our vision: A Scotland where people and communities benefit from life-transforming creativity that tackles inequalities and addresses poverty.
CEO Fiona Doring says: “For decades, Impact Arts has seen first hand how arts-based approaches transform their lives through improving wellbeing, strengthening communities, and developing life chances.
“Ahead of the 2026 Scottish elections, we urge decision makers to recognise the arts as a vital part of building a fairer, healthier, and more connected Scotland.”
OUR MANIFESTO ASKS
Scotland’s leaders, we urge you to:
1. Recognise Creative Engagement as a Public Health Approach
2. Improve Access to Creative Preventative Mental Health Approaches
3. Ensure Access to Arts-Based Therapies for Children Facing Trauma and Poverty
4. Embed Creative, Flexible and Person-Centred Approaches into Whole Family Wellbeing
5. Support Creative Ageing to Bring Joy to Later Years
6. Increase Access to Quality Arts-Based Education & Employment Programmes
7. Support Neurodiverse Young People Through Quality Arts & Creativity Projects
8. Promote Creative Home-Making as Key to Sustaining Tenancies & Preventing Homelessness
9. Celebrate Creative Placemaking
Impact Arts urges Scotland’s leaders to embed creativity across public policy. By investing in arts-based and creative approaches, we can build a more inclusive, stronger, and imaginative society.
Explore our extended manifesto featuring references to research and commentary from Culture Counts, Arts Culture Health and Wellbeing Scotland, Voluntary Health Scotland, Social Biobehavioural Research Group, National Academy for Social Prescribing, Scotland’s Mental Health Partnership, The Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland, Children’s and Youth Arts Advocacy (CYAA), Scottish Autism, Homeless Network Scotland, and SURF – Scotland’s Regeneration Forum.
For the first time ever, Impact Arts is launching a manifesto ahead of the 2026 Scottish elections.
Scotland’s leaders, we urge you to:
Explore our extended manifesto featuring references to research and commentary from Culture Counts, 