Listings Mon 17 – Sun 23 Nov 2025
What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week?
No big openers this week, although Scottish Opera is still at the Festival Theatre with their magnificent La Bohéme (tickets), and the Tina Turner Musical is still at the Playhouse (tickets).
Otherwise there are plenty of shows with a rather smaller scale and much shorter run.
Top tip is Placeholder at Summerhall (Sat/Sun: tickets). Catherine Bisset’s solo piece is set in Saint-Domingue in 1790. One year and one day before an uprising of rebel slaves will ignite what is now known as the Haitian Revolution. At the theatre in Port-au-Prince, Minette waits, holding a seat for her white employer, but the auditorium fumes conjure up ghosts from her past….
Elsewhere, Theatre of the Oppressed Scotland make their debut tonight (Mon: tickets) with Tommy, an immersive piece of Forum Theatre about homelessness.
A quartet of local performers and performing companies are taking part in an Open Floor Scratch Night at the Studio (Thurs: tickets). This should be a great night out to see some new ideas and new shows in the making. The four taking part all have great theatrical chops, so double bonus here.
In Musselburgh, MAMA are making the best of it after the Brunton closed. This year’s taster variety show, A Blockbuster MAMA Variety, celebrates the silver screen at Our Lady Of Loretto Church Hall (Sat/Sun: tickets).
Opera fans are spoilt for choice. Besides La Bohéme, Scottish Opera’s Opera Highlights tour is at the Traverse (Sat: tickets), while Clyde Opera Group have A Ravel Soirée (Sat: tickets), just round the corner at St Marks Unitarian Church on Castle Terrace.
Listings
Click on the name of the show or the Book here link to go to its ticketing site.
Augustine United Church
41 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EL.
Tommy (Theatre of the Oppressed Scotland)
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Evening: 7.30pm.
A deeply human, immersive Forum Theatre production exploring homelessness, survival, and the systems that shape people’s lives. Inspired by real experiences, Tommy invites you to look beyond assumptions — to see, hear, and feel what’s too often unseen. Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
La bohéme (Scottish Opera)
Fri 14 – Sat 22 Nov 2025
Fri 14, Tue 18, Th 20, Sat 22: 7.15pm; Sun 16: 3pm.
In Barbe & Doucet’s colourful production set in 1920s Paris, four struggling bohemians’ lives are changed when they meet a seamstress called Mimì. Struggling to survive in the lavish yet unforgiving city, these charismatic characters are met with the harsh realities of poverty and fortune. Book here.
Greenbank Parish Church
1 Braidburn Terrace, EH10 6ES.
The Ballad of Jack and Stacey (Bethany Christian Trust)
Fri 21 November 2025.
Evening: 7.30pm.
Jack’s always gone his own path, that’s why Stacey has a soft spot for him. But after he lands a jail sentence, what will the future hold? Funny, emotional and hopeful, this powerful tale of prison and addiction is written with men in HMP Glenochil and includes music by Supergrass, John Lennon, Johnny Cash and more. Book here.
Our Lady Of Loretto Church Hall
7 Newbigging, Musselburgh, EH21 7AJ.
A Blockbuster MAMA Variety (MAMA)
Sat 22/Sun 23 Nov 2025.
Sat: 2pm & 7pm; Sun: 3.30pm.
Lights, camera, action! Step onto the red carpet and join MAMA for A Blockbuster MAMA Variety. Expect a night filled with music, dance, comedy & a few surprises, all celebrating the magic of the silver screen! Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
Tue 11 – Sat 22 Nov 2025
Mon – Sat: 7.30pm; Thur, Sat mats: 2.30pm.
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Affecting.
From humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her triumphant transformation into a multi award-winning global superstar, Tina Turner didn’t just break the rules, she rewrote them. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her iconic hits, discover the heart and soul behind the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Book here.
Queens Hall
85-89 Clerk St, EH8 9JG.
Art of Andalucia (Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company)
Wed 19 Nov 2025
One performance: 7.30pm.
Æ review at EdFringe: ★★★★★ Captivating
A celebration of flamenco dance, a vibrant journey into the heart of Andalucia, where the tradition and passion of flamenco are brought to life through stunning choreography and powerful performances. Book here.
St Marks Unitarian Church
7 Castle Terrace, EH1 2DP
A Ravel Soirée (Clyde Opera Group)
Sat 22 Nov 2025
One performance: 7.30pm.
Join Clyde Opera Group for a night of music and celebration as they honour the 150th birth anniversary of Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). Featuring a selection of Ravel’s exquisite songs and a semi-staged piano performance of his opera in one act l’heure Espagnole (The Spanish Hour). Book here.
Studio Theatre
The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Shakespeare Schools Festival
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Evening: 7pm.
Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation celebrates their 25th anniversary. Support young people from your community as they take to the stage in a unique evening of live theatre. Joining us for a thrilling theatrical event are Edinburgh’s very own Longstone Primary School. Book here
Open Floor Scratch Night
Thur 20 Nov 2025
Evening: 7.30pm.
New work from four Edinburgh-based theatremakers.
Liam Rees: The Empire is Collapsing and I’m doing my **ing Laundry; Jack MacGregor: Catching a Falling Knife; Half Trick Theatre: Hamelin ’04 – The Children Who Never Came Home; and Amina Aaliya Beg: My Mum Told Me Not to Mary An Atheist. Book here.
Summerhall
1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL.
Placeholder (Catherine Bisset)
Sat 22/Sun 23 Nov 2025
Evenings: 6pm. (EAS Studios).
Saint-Domingue, 1790. One year and one day before an uprising of rebel slaves will ignite what is now known as the Haitian Revolution. At the theatre in Port-au-Prince, Minette waits, holding a seat for her white employer, but the auditorium fumes conjure up ghosts from her past. Catherine Bisset’s solo performance examines the gaps in the archives, the lacunae in the texts, and the holes in the narrative. Book here.
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404.
Opera Highlights (Scottish Opera)
Sat 22 Nov 2025
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
Opera Highlights is heading back to the office with a brand new show, transforming recognisable situations – forbidden crushes and awkward workplace conversations – for the stage. Think music paired with the whirr of the photocopier, as you’ll hear music from a range of operas, building a story of all-too-familiar office politics. Book here.
*NB: This is intended to be a complete listing of all public theatrical productions on in Edinburgh. If you are staging a show which is not listed, or a listing is inaccurate, please get in touch through the contact page, here.
