National Theatre of Scotland unveils 2024 season with Jack Lowden to star in new David Ireland play

The National Theatre of Scotland has unveiled its plans for 2024.

The season includes four world premieres, the return of two hit shows, appearances at the Edinburgh Festivals, and a total of nine touring productions. These will be showcased at 45 venues across 28 locations.

Among the shows are The Fifth Step, a new play written by David Ireland and directed by Finn den Hertog, featuring the return of Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) to Scottish stages. The two-hander follows an alcoholic man in search of a sponsor, only for things to go awry from there. It will preview at Dundee Rep Theatre before opening at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, for a week’s run as part of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival and then end with a week’s run at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.

Also appearing in Edinburgh during festival month will be June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me, a new play written and performed by Charlene Boyd, directed by Cora Bissett. It will then tour.

Another production is Thank U, Next, a dance theatre piece exploring contemporary cosplay culture, created by the radical performance collective 21Common in collaboration with teenagers across Scotland.

The 2024 program also includes the return of Maggie and Me, based on Damian Barr’s award-winning memoir, and Dear Billy, a celebration of Billy Connolly’s life and career. Additionally, the critically acclaimed play Enough of Him, based on the true story of Joseph Knight, makes a return to stages.

Collaborations like An Accident / A Life between Marc Brew and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Shō and the Demons of the Deep for younger audiences, Tero Buru by the late Beldina Odenyo, and Protest directed by Natalie Ibu are part of the lineup.