A History of Paper with Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson to transfer to New York

Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson will star in the New York transfer of A History of Paper, which will make its US premiere Off-Broadway in February 2027.

The production, presented by Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Dundee Rep Theatre in association with Sonia Friedman Productions, Jerry Goehring and Pemberley Productions, will run at Stage 42, part of the Shubert Organization, from 12 February to 16 May 2027. Tickets go on sale on 17 November.

Directed by Dundee Rep Theatre artistic director Andrew Panton, the 13-week engagement marks the first time a production from either Pitlochry Festival Theatre or Dundee Rep Theatre has transferred Off-Broadway. It follows No Love Songs, which originated at Dundee Rep and transferred to the US and Australia in 2025.

A History of Paper began as an original BBC Radio 4 play written by Oliver Emanuel in 2017. Emanuel and composer Gareth Williams subsequently adapted it as a work-in-progress at Dundee Rep in 2019, as part of the theatre’s Rep Stripped festival. The production made its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut at the Traverse Theatre in 2024, winning a Fringe First Award. Cumming saw the production and, alongside Panton, arranged for it to feature in his first season as artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, a position he took up in January 2025.

The two-character musical follows a relationship between a man and a woman through the paper artefacts that mark different stages of their lives, including letters, menus, train tickets, shopping lists and postcards.

Cumming said: “I am so thrilled to bring A History of Paper from my home country of Scotland to my adopted home in New York City. This is one of these rare shows that transcends its own story and manages to touch an audience in a really visceral and beautiful way. And it utterly belongs in New York City. Since taking over as artistic director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre it has been my plan (and dream) to start a theatrical exchange channel between Manhattan and our theatre in the hills. This is the first show to do so and I couldn’t be happier to be doing it alongside Shirley, who I first worked with over forty years ago!”

Henderson added: “When Alan whispered backstage to me that we might be taking our show A History of Paper to New York, my heart skipped a beat. In that moment, I felt excited, a little scared but happy to be holding hands with Alan as we take this beautiful piece of writing with sweet music on the next part of its journey. I never imagined it was possible to have the opportunity to step onto the New York stage. I am glad it’s with my lovely friend Alan Cumming.”

Panton concluded: “Creating this show with Alan, Shirley and our amazing creative team has been a dream. Some stories ask us to lean a little closer. A History of Paper is one of them – the story of one relationship quietly becoming about all of us: the people who shape our lives, the memories we hold on to, and the ordinary moments we come to treasure most. The work I’ve seen in New York has long inspired me to make theatre, and to see work developed at Dundee Rep reach international audiences is a powerful reminder of why we invest in new work and the artists who create it. I couldn’t be more excited to bring our show to New York City audiences.”

The creative team includes designer Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, lighting designer Bruno Poet, sound designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite and musical supervisor, musical director and pianist Gavin Whitworth.