Traverse Listings

Upcoming shows at Edinburgh’s New Writing Theatre

Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404
Website: www.traverse.co.uk.

The Traverse. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic

The Traverse is Scotland’s leading new writing theatre. It has two performance spaces: Traverse 1 can accommodate 214-270 people depending on its configuration; the studio space, Traverse 2, seats up to 123 people.

Access: there is level access to the Box Office area and lift access to the Bar and theatre spaces downstairs. Full access guide here.

December 2025

Dancing Shoes (Traverse in association with PPP)
By Stephen Christopher and Graeme Smith.
Thurs 4 – Sat 20 Dec 2025
Daily (not Sun/Mon): 7.30pm; Sat Mat 13 & 20: 2.30pm (Trav 1).
Donny lives with his mum and has been struggling with addiction most of his life. He also has a secret hobby… dancing alone in his bedroom. A life-affirming comedy-drama about isolation, support groups and bedroom dancing that challenges how we treat the most vulnerable people in society. Previously seen at PPP (★★★☆☆ Joyful) Book here.

Untethered (A rehearsed Reading)
By Sally Hobson.
Sat 6 Dec 2025
Evening: 7pm (Trav 2).
Emily has lost track of where she is; something has happened. In a simple story of a person who dies, unaware of her passing, Untethered explores the journey Emily’s consciousness might take as gravity lets her go. Book here.

4 New Plays By 4 Scottish Playwrights (4Play)
Thurs 11 – Sat 13 Dec 2025
Evening: 7pm (Trav 2).
On the back of a successful Edinburgh Fringe Festival run with Mikey Burnett’s award winning Colours Run, 4PLAY brings you four starts to four new plays. Our playwrights will present the first quarter of their play to be seen by audiences for the first time. Where else could they lead? Come along for a glimpse of the beginning of four thrilling new pieces from four of Scotland’s exciting writing talents. Book here.

Finding Balance – Winter
Hosted by David Gardner & Benedict Hoesl.
Tue 16 Dec 2026
Evening: 6.30pm (Trav 2).
An exploration of new writing talent from across Scotland. Showcasing works in progress from emerging talents, this scratch performance offers a glimpse into compelling new texts brought to life on stage, exploring a range of themes, voices and creative styles. Book here.

2026

PASS Double Bill
Created by BA Dance and Drama Students in collaboration with the artists.
Sat 11 Jan 2026
Evening: 6pm (Trav 1).
A dynamic double bill from PASS’s BA Dance and Drama Ensemble Students produced in partnership with Dance Base. These diverse performances have been devised and choreographed with two of Scotland’s most exciting dance and physical theatre artists Lucy Hind and Penny Chivas. Book here.

A Fishy Tale In Anstruther & Yui’s Unique Adventure (Lung Ha)
By Emma Clark & Emma McCaffrey.
Thurs 22/Fri 23 Jan 2026
Evening: 7pm (Trav 2).
Lung Ha Touring Company present rehearsed readings of plays written by two of Lung Ha Theatre Company ensemble actors.  Outside Kurt’s beachside restaurant in Anstruther, two ladies defend their fish and chips from a couple of greedy seagulls. Yui loves telling stories… except for real ones where she is the main character. Book here.

Coffee with Sugar? (Manipulate Festival)
By KMZ Kollectiv.
Wed 4/Thurs 5 Feb 2026
Evening: 6pm (Trav 1).
Using thousands of coffee beans, flying candyfloss, biographical fragments, historical sources, video art and live music, ‘Coffee with Sugar?’ is a visually striking performance delving into the enduring legacies of colonialism. Book here.

Size Matters (Manipulate Festival)
By Mamoru Iriguchi & Fergus Dunnet.
Thurs 5/Fri 6 Feb 2026
Evening: 6.15pm (Trav 2).
Blending puppetry, science, and surrealist theatre, Julia and Mamoru and their puppet doubles explore how time and perception shift with size. Book here.

Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book) (Manipulate Festival)
By Emma Williams, Dik Downey, Chris Collier.
Sat 7/Sun 8 Feb 2026
Evening: 6.15pm (Trav 2).
In his new one-man show, Dik Downey weaves together the crazed delusions of Don Quixote with his own struggle against reality. With a rogue’s gallery of puppets and desperate clowning, Dik’s Quixote embarks on surreal, comic misadventures, accompanied by his wisecracking sidekick, Sancho Panza, and his decrepit horse, Rocinante. Book here.

The Rite of Spring (Manipulate Festival)
By Dewey Dell.
Sat 7/Sun 8 Feb 2026
Evening: 8pm (Trav 1).
Offering a fresh perspective on the timeless score, the work solidifies the company’s position as one of the most original and compelling companies on the contemporary scene. The powerful seduction of Stravinsky’s score clashes with the furious energy of the performers’ bodies, creating a visceral experience that captivates audiences. Book here.

The Wood Paths (Manipulate Festival)
By Theatre on Gertrude St.
Mon 9/Tue 10 Feb 2026
Evening: 8pm (Trav 1).
Two logs. Two axes. Two people. A pause. Silence. Then the splinters fly. A tree cracks under pressure. But the people don’t stop. A celebration of humanity’s endless creativity and our desire to understand, to shape, and to find beauty in the mess. Book here.

The Flames ()
By .
Sat 14 Feb 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Dead. Heart. Hand ()
By Stef Smith.
Wed X – Sat 23 Mar 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

The Events ()
By David Greig.
Wed X – Sat 23 Mar 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

PPP No.1 ()
By ?.
Tue 3 – Sat 7 Mar 2026
Lunchtime: 1pm (Trav 2).
The first of A Play, A Pie and A Pint’s Spring 2025 Season. Book here.

Class Act Edinburgh Showcase ()
By .
Wed 4/Thurs 5 Mar 2026
Evening: 7pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

T Medeae ()
By .
Wed X – Sat 23 Mar 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

PPP No.2 ()
By ?.
Tue 10 – Sat 14 Mar 2026
Lunchtime: 1pm (Trav 2).
The second of A Play, A Pie and A Pint’s Spring 2025 Season. Book here.

A Grain of Sand ()
By Elias Matar.
Tue 10 – Thur 12 Mar 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Class Act Glasgow Showcase 2026 ()
By .
Wed 11/Thur 11 Mar 2026
Evening: 7pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

PPP No.3 ()
By ?.
Tue 3 – Sat 7 Mar 2026
Lunchtime: 1pm (Trav 2).
The third of A Play, A Pie and A Pint’s Spring 2025 Season. Book here.

Saint Joan ()
By .
Wed 18 – Sat 21 Mar 2026
Evening: 7.30pm, Sat mat: 2.30pm. (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Cyrana (PASS)
By .
Wed 25/Thur 26 Mar 2026
2pm & 7pm (Trav 2).
I Blurb. Book here.

Roll With It (PASS)
By .
Wed 25/Thur 26 Mar 2026
3.30pm & 8.30pm. (Trav 2).
I Blurb. Book here.

The Light House ()
By Alys Williams.
Sat 28 Mar 2026
Evening: 7pm (Trav 2).
I Blurb. Book here.

PPP No.4 ()
By ?.
Tue 31 Mar – Sat 4 Apr 2026
Lunchtime: 1pm (Trav 2).
The fourth of A Play, A Pie and A Pint’s Spring 2025 Season. Book here.

Game of Crones (A&E Comedy)
By .
Sat 4/Sun 5 Apr 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Acting and Performance Showcase (QMU)
By .
Tue 7/Wed 8 Apr 2026
Tue: 7.30pm; Wed: 1.30pm. (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Gush (Traverse Theatre Company)
By Jess Brodie.
Fri 10 – Sat 25 Apr 2026
Tue – Sat: 7pm; Sat mats 18 & 25: 2.30pm (Trav 2).
I Blurb. Book here.

What I’m Here For (Vanishing Point)
By Josephine Eusebius.
Wed 15 – Sat 18 April 2026
Evening: 7.30pm; Mat Thurs 16: 2.30pm. (Trav 1).
With bold theatrical innovation and immersive world-building typical of Vanishing Point and Teater Katapult (Denmark), What I’m Here For is a fast-moving fusion of new European writing and visual imagination, which explores the tragi-comic collateral of hospitals and human choices. Book here.

The Chief: No Apologies (Gilded Balloon)
By Jack Doherty.
Wed 22 – Sat 24 April 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
Jack Docherty is Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson – your Chief, our Chief, The People’s Chief! Your favourite sketches from Scot Squad and lots of hilarious new jokes as The Chief dissects the state of the nation, from politics to policing, football to families, bams to biscuits. Book here.

Tomorrow (2Faced Dance Co)
By Tamsin Fitzgerald.
Tue 28 – Thur 30 Apr 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Shotgunned ()
By .
Wed 29/Thur 30 Apr 2026
Evening: 7pm (Trav 2).
I Blurb. Book here.

The Freshwater Five (Deadman)
By Liam Patrick Harrison.
Fri 15/Sat 16 May 2026
Evening: 7.30pm, Sat Mat 2.30pm. (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Leila Navabi: Relay ()
By .
Sat 16 May 2026
Evening: 7pm (Trav 2).
I Blurb. Book here.

Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit In (NTS & Tron)
By Frances Poet.
Tue 19/Wed 20 May 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

Baby Mash-Up, What On Earth are you Doing? (Stillpoint)
By Sally Hobson.
Fri 22/Sat 23 May 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.

ENDS

T e ()
By .
Wed X – Sat 23 June 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
I Blurb. Book here.