National Theatre of Scotland's 2022 season to feature Alan Cumming and more
The National Theatre of Scotland has confirmed a slew of world premieres and new productions for 2022.
Alan Cumming will return to the stage, teaming up with award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett to create a new piece of dance theatre entitled Burn. Co-produced with Joyce Theater and Edinburgh International Festival, the show is inspired by the life and times of celebrated Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Following its EIF premiere, it will then tour to Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Perth, before heading out to New York.
Directed by Michael Boyd and starring Adura Onashile, a new staging of Liz Lochhead's adaptation of Medea will also be presented at the EIF. Twenty years after its original tour, the show returns with a large ensemble, infusing the classic Greek tragedy with Scots.
Uma Nada-Rajah's new play Exodus is set to premiere at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, before touring to Stirling, Peebles, Glasgow, Stornoway, Aberdeen, and Kilmarnock. Helmed by National Theatre of Scotland's new associate director Debbie Hannan, the piece is billed as "a dark and surreal satirical comedy, standing by to shamelessly ridicule the systems of power".
Presented by Raw Material and Capital Theatres in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, Rona Munro's James IV – Queen of the Fight will follow in the footsteps of the first three 'James Plays' and once again explore an uncharted period of Scottish history. Directed by Laurie Sansom, the play will tour to Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness and Stirling, after its opening at Edinburgh Festival Theatre.
As previously announced, the world premiere stage adaptation of the cult Peter Mullan film Orphans will also be presented this year. Directed by Cora Bissett, the dark musical comedy about family, grief and forgiveness will open at the SEC Glasgow, with subsequent stops scheduled for Edinburgh and Inverness.
Co-produced by Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Enough of Him tells the true story of Joseph Knight, an enslaved African man brought to Scotland by a plantation owner named John Wedderburn, who would go on to challenge his slave status in court. Written by May Sumbwanyambe and directed by Justin Audibert, the play will open in Pitlochry before heading to Cumbernauld, Musselburgh and Perth.
In addition, National Theatre of Scotland will also present a special live screen project. In partnership with Selkie productions, Screen Scotland and Sky Arts, a new retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde will not only relocate the setting from London to Edinburgh, but will also incorporate both theatrical and cinematic elements to create a live experience as well as a feature film. Conceived and directed by Hope Dickson Leach, the piece will be performed at Leith Theatre and later broadcast to cinemas across the UK.
Jackie Wylie, artistic director and CEO, commented: "Theatre as a live art form is uniquely placed in how it can evolve in form to connect deeply with its audience. Scottish theatre-makers and artists have embraced language, genre and experimentation to explode compelling stories and characters onto our stages – satire, comedy, horror, musical theatre, Scots, aerial performance, tragedy, spectacle, dance and poetry all have their moment in our 2022 programme. We hope you will return safely to your local theatre to join us for an evening or afternoon of theatrical magic and belonging."
