National Theatre of Scotland announce start of 10th anniversary season

Artistic director Laurie Sansom has announced the first part of the National Theatre of Scotland's 10th birthday programme year.

The centrepiece of the new season is the first part of a new trilogy of music pieces The 306: Dawn (24 May – 11 June). Commissioned to commemorate WWI, the piece is written by Oliver Emanuel with music from Gareth Williams. It will be directed by Sansom and will explore the stories of the 306 men shot for cowardice and desertion during the first world war. The 306: Dawn will be staged in a barn in the Perthshire countryside, with the opening performance taking place at dawn. The second and third pieces will be staged in 2017 and 2018.

Other new pieces in the NTS's anniversary season include a trilogy of plays from Zinnie Harris This Restless House, inspired by the ancient Greek tragedy The Oresteia between 15 April and 15 May at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.

Anarchic theatre company Told By An Idiot stage the world premiere of their piece I Am Thomas – a Brutal Comedy with Songs. Poet Simon Armitage has written the lyrics, with Iain Johnstone penning the music. The show looks at the history of Edinburgh through the story of Thomas Aikenhead, a Scottish student executed for blasphemy (touring UK wide from 18 Feb to 16 April UK).

Other returning shows include David Greig's hit play The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart which tours Scottish town halls and barns from May, and Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, which was a hit at the Edinburgh festival this year. It will tour the UK, Ireland and USA, including a run at the Dorfman at the National Theatre in London in early August.

National Theatre boss Rufus Norris said: "We are delighted to be welcoming Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour to the National … It will be a joy to have the uproarious Ladies at the Dorfman."

In February, the company will bring back The James Plays, Rona Munro's trilogy about the Stewart kings which played in 2014 in Edinburgh before coming to the National Theatre. The plays will tour throughout the UK and Australia.