Scottish Storytelling Centre
Through the Shortbread Tin
★★★★☆ Charismatic and witty
Through the Shortbread Tin, written and performed by Martin O’Connor, is a captivating exploration of Scottish identity, history, myth and the truth.
The Dark Up Close
★★★★☆ Stark warning
In The Dark Up Close, Strange Town’s Young Company have co-created a new play with writer Jack MacGregor foretelling a new war and mandatory conscription for young people.
Capture the Flag!
★★★☆☆ Good fun
Capture the Flag! follows a group of fast-food workers on a mandatory company retreat where tensions build and relationships are tested. The Napier Drama Society’s Winter Show at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, is a light-hearted satire filled with workplace drama and absurdity.
A Noble Clown
★★★★★ Essential
Michael Daviot’s A Noble Clown – Scenes From The Life Of Duncan Macrae, is on a short run at the Storytelling Centre as part of the weekend celebrating Scottish theatre linked to Edinburgh 900. If there is any justice in the world, it will be seen again very soon.
Men Don’t Talk
★★★★☆ Compelling
Clare Prenton and Genesis Theatre’s Men Don’t Talk is a compelling introduction to the idea of the Men’s Shed Movement, staged in the Netherbow Theatre as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, in partnership with Scottish Men’s Shed Association and Luminate.
An American Love Letter to Edinburgh
★★★★☆ Enchantingly Earnest
Equipped only with a book and a glass of water, storyteller Rick Conte masterfully intertwines the true tales of two Edinburgh visitors separated by nearly 250 years in An American Love Letter to Edinburgh at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
Land Under Wave
★★★★☆ Enchanting
The Young Edinburgh Storytellers revive their acclaimed production Land Under Wave at this year’s Fringe, and it remains an otherworldly treat.
Animate Lands: A Celtic Myth Cycle
★★★★☆ Traditional
After selling out the Scottish Storytelling Centre in 2022, Animate Lands: A Celtic Myth Cycle returns to the venue for the Fringe. Storyteller Dougie Mackay accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Freya Rae, takes us on a poetic journey through traditional Scottish tales and wilderness.
TÁIN
★★★★☆ Otherworldly
Young Edinburgh Storytellers, Mark Borthwick and David Hughes, hold their audience rapt with TÁIN, a much-condensed adaptation of Ireland’s most famous epic tale.
Joyfully Grimm – Reimagining a Queer Adolescence
★★★★☆ Hopeful
Joyfully Grimm – Reimagining a Queer Adolescence at the Scottish Storytelling Centre is a winning combination of personal reminiscence, politics and traditional tales which is understatedly poetic and utterly convincing.
