Traverse Theatre

Edinburgh

www.traverse.co.uk
7 - 8 February 2024
MANIPULATE: TESS
Ravishing recreation of Hardy's classic novel from leading aerial theatre company
Reviewed here

20 - 21 October 2023
Woman Walking
Despite its source material, Woman Walking struggles to find the magic of Shepherd's mountains
Reviewed at Eden Court

3 - 27 August 2023
No Love Songs
Bangin' gig theatre that packs a punch
Reviewed here

3 - 27 August 2023
THROWN
A raucous and daring drama wrestling with what it means to be Scottish
Reviewed here

1 - 27 August 2023
Adults
Perky, punchy theatre that questions whether we ever really grow up
Reviewed here

8 - 10 June 2023
ChildMinder
A bloated and convoluted plot renders this psychological drama a thrill-less thriller
Reviewed here

29 - 31 May 2023
Imaginate: Somewhere Else
Exquisitely realised visual theatre depicting war through the eyes of a child
Reviewed here

7 - 11 March 2023
Burning Bright
Brutal comedy about wild weather
Reviewed at Òran Mór

28 February - 4 March 2023
Until It's Gone
Bittersweet drama from Alison Carr about finding friendship.
Reviewed at Òran Mór

3 - 4 February 2023
MANIPULATE: Arthropoda
Clunky dialogue and strange shifts in tone taint the impressive physical feats
Reviewed here

16 - 17 November 2022
Witch Hunt
Messy sketch comedy detracts from otherwise promising performance
Reviewed here

26 October 2022
A New Life
Musical about new parenthood has comedic highlights but feels inconsistent
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

25 October 2022
Crocodile Rock
Joyful musical chronicles a teenage boy's discovery of drag
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

19 - 22 October 2022
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
Rapture Theatre deliver a mesmerising portrayal of a dysfunctional family
Reviewed at Eden Court

16 - 28 August 2022
One-Woman Show
Witty, knowing pastiche of all sorts of things
Reviewed here

9 - 21 August 2022
ALOK
A fierce, feisty, funny battle cry for inclusion
Reviewed here

4 - 28 August 2022
Bloody Elle
Heart-warming girl-meets-girl solo musical told through an engaging original score
Reviewed here

4 - 28 August 2022
Happy Meal
Funny and moving portrayal of queer friendship in the digital world
Reviewed here

4 - 28 August 2022
Psychodrama
Captivating monologue delivers Hitchcockian thrills
Reviewed here

4 - 28 August 2022
The Last Return
A wickedly sharp black comedy that never loses sight of the bigger picture
Reviewed here

2 - 28 August 2022
Blood Harmony
Touching family story with sweetly, lovely songs
Reviewed here

31 July - 28 August 2022
Exodus
A fun political farce that could do with more restraint
Reviewed here

30 July - 28 August 2022
This is Paradise
Gripping theatre about a woman - and a country - seeking peace
Reviewed here

10 - 11 June 2022
Seven Minutes in Heaven
Strange Town's young actors deftly explore the stress and anxieties of being a teenager
Reviewed here

9 - 11 June 2022
On Air
An energetic mash up of the Grimm's fairy tales with reality TV
Reviewed here

13 - 16 April 2022
The Metamorphosis
A haunting adaptation of Kafka's classic allegory
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

17 - 19 March 2022
Human Nurture
A poignant and explosive performance tackling race, friendship, and privilege
Reviewed here

8 - 24 December 2021
Wilf
A filthy and fiercely funny ride
Reviewed here

20 August - 17 September 2021
Eavesdropping (Walk This Play)
Entertaining audio theatre accompanying an exploration of Edinburgh's city centre streets
Reviewed here

4 - 29 August 2021
Medicine
A strange, surreal, and sublime piece of absurdist theatre
Reviewed here

3 - 7 August 2021
Move
A majestic exploration of grief, set by the sea, under a louring sky
Reviewed here

1 - 4 April 2020
The Metamorphosis
Overwrought dialogue holds back brilliant performances and inspired staging in this unnerving Kafka adaptation
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

6 March 2020
The Secret Garden
Red Bridge Arts deliver a wonderful adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel that is sure to grow on its audience
Reviewed here

5 - 6 March 2020
Within Sight
A passionate and poetic breath of fresh air
Reviewed here

3 - 4 March 2020
We Are In Time
Untitled Productions, alongside the Scottish Ensemble, deliver a brave, brilliant love letter to organ donation
Reviewed here

30 November - 21 December 2019
Strange Tales
A fascinating - sometimes dazzling - adaptation of Chinese folktales that is let down by an uneven tone
Reviewed here

1 - 2 November 2019
Hope and Joy
Ellie Stewart's surrealist exploration of otherness shows promise, but a reliance on out-of-place comedy holds it back
Reviewed here

29 - 30 October 2019
Fibres
Witty yet moving exploration of Glasgow's asbestos crisis
Reviewed at Paisley Arts Centre

25 - 26 October 2019
Thick Skin, Elastic Heart
A unique, absorbing and powerful insight into what living in today's world can feel like
Reviewed here

22 October - 2 November 2019
The Monstrous Heart
A sharp, funny and super spooky performance that is perfectly polished
Reviewed here

16 - 17 October 2019
Build A Rocket
Teen pregnancy tale is nothing revelatory as a story, but solo performance is superbly executed
Reviewed at Pleasance Courtyard

15 - 19 October 2019
The Sweetest Growl
A heartfelt and entertaining tribute to Glasgow's gem of a jazz singer
Reviewed here

10 - 19 October 2019
The Panopticon
Russell-Martin's empowering performance gives a voice to those failed by the care system
Reviewed here

3 - 5 October 2019
Clybourne Park
A rapturous dance around the Monopoly board
Reviewed at Eden Court

1 - 5 October 2019
The Signalman
Sheer terror of the Tay Bridge disaster brought home by Peter Arnott
Reviewed here

18 - 21 September 2019
Black Men Walking
Thought-provoking theatre about racial identity
Reviewed here

17 - 21 September 2019
Number One Fan
A misogynistic columnist leaves a jilted wife seeking revenge in this twisted dark comedy
Reviewed here

6 - 25 August 2019
Crocodile Fever
Meghan Tyler’s audacious dark comedy is brilliant, but not for the faint of heart
Reviewed here

6 - 23 August 2019
Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster
A thrilling blend of harmonies and vocal gymnastics provide a unique and quite sensational retelling of Mary Shelley's famous novel
Reviewed here

4 - 25 August 2019
How Not To Drown
Excellent physical theatre on asylum and human resilience
Reviewed here

1 - 25 August 2019
The Patient Gloria
An affirming and brazenly defiant affair about female sexuality
Reviewed here

1 - 25 August 2019
Trying It On
Playwright turned performer talks politics
Reviewed here

30 May - 2 June 2019
The Invisible Man
Theater Artemis' use of puppetry and mime helps to create a charming show suitable for all ages.
Reviewed here

23 - 27 April 2019
The Mack
Rob Drummond pays fairly straight tribute to the GSA building and the humans connected to it
Reviewed here

23 March 2019
Velvet Petal
A cool contemporary performance that loses itself in trying to make a statement.
Reviewed here

15 - 16 March 2019
Fat Blokes
A powerful story of rebellion told through dance and spoken word.
Reviewed here

7 - 9 March 2019
The Funeral Director
Sex, death and religion make for a powerful mix in Iman Qureshi's play
Reviewed here

6 - 9 March 2019
The Dark Carnival
A dark but disappointing delve into the underworld.
Reviewed at Tramway

9 February 2019
Clown Cabaret Special Edition
An evening of clowns, comedy and physical theatre that leaves the audience in stitches.
Reviewed here

8 February 2019
Transmographiles
Hopeful Monster transform their hands into inventive and interesting creatures.
Reviewed here

8 February 2019
Sleeping Beauty
Colette Garrigan delivers inventive puppetry and a lively performance to bring novelty to a working class tale as old as time
Reviewed here

8 February 2019
Beguiled
Two tiny table-top puppet productions that feel a little too predictable.
Reviewed here

7 February 2019
Salt
A promising debut performance where the realities of domestic violence are told through the mundanity of everyday objects.
Reviewed here

6 February 2019
Nino
A work in progress that looks at poverty through the means of physical theatre.
Reviewed here

6 February 2019
Invisible Lands
A story of displacement told through miniature toys and the human body.
Reviewed here

5 February 2019
Vu
Ingenuity and cunning are used to hilarious effect.
Reviewed here

4 February 2019
Wunderkammer
Figuren Theater Tubingen present an intimate and joyful puppet experience.
Reviewed here

5 - 15 December 2018
McGonagall's Chronicles
An unfortunate turn of events prevent this flamboyant play on McGonagall's work from reaching the poet's legendary status.
Reviewed here

5 - 22 December 2018
Mouthpiece
Brutal and riveting tirade against social inequality brings O'Loughlin's time at the Traverse to a thrilling end.
Reviewed here

29 - 30 November 2018
Black Beauty
Enchanting children's theatre that will win over adults too.
Reviewed here

6 - 7 November 2018
Stuff
A missed opportunity to delve deeper into the psyche of hoarders.
Reviewed at Brunton Theatre

24 - 29 October 2018
The Unreturning
A jarring and honest portrayal of the effects of war.
Reviewed here

16 - 20 October 2018
The Last Picture Show
Simple and sweet wartime story to close this season's A Play, A Pie and A Pint at the Trav
Reviewed here

16 - 20 October 2018
The Macbeths
Abstract creative decisions lead to a confusing rendition of Shakespeare's Scottish play.
Reviewed here

9 - 20 October 2018
Arctic Oil
Duffy's environmental piece is aptly timed to question our impact on the planet.
Reviewed here

9 - 13 October 2018
It Wisnae Me
Alan Bissett takes on the thorny issue of Scotland's colonial history
Reviewed here

2 - 6 October 2018
Tipping The Hat
Mid-century musical comics reverently revived at A Play, A Pie and A Pint
Reviewed here

27 92018 - 29 September 2018
Scotties
A well-structured and sensitive look at history and identity.
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

26 - 27 September 2018
Manpower
Overbearing symbolism inhibits any sense of clarity in this satirical play about the British workforce.
Reviewed here

26 - 29 September 2018
The Lottery Ticket
Nebli Basani shines in this funny and enlightening piece exploring the realities of asylum and EU migration.
Reviewed here

18 - 22 September 2018
Tap Dancing with Jean-Paul Sartre
Tap dancing and philosophy prove unlikely dance partners in the latest A Play, A Pie and A Pint offering.
Reviewed here

11 - 15 September 2018
Outside In
Hilarious modern Scottish farce makes for perfect lunchtime theatre
Reviewed here

21 - 26 August 2018
Nigel Slater's Toast
A real 90 minutes of pure nostalgic pleasure that is a feast for all the senses
Reviewed here

14 - 19 August 2018
Nigel Slater's Toast
A real 90 minutes of pure nostalgic pleasure that is a feast for all the senses
Reviewed here

8 - 12 August 2018
Nigel Slater's Toast
A real 90 minutes of pure nostalgic pleasure that is a feast for all the senses
Reviewed here

5 - 26 August 2018
Meek
Play tells an increasingly familiar tale, lacking energy and imagination.
Reviewed here

2 - 26 August 2018
CLASS
Iseult Golden and David Horan offer a stellar exploration of the education system, class and raising kids after separation.
Reviewed here

2 - 26 August 2018
On The Exhale
Zimmerman's script stunts his protagonist in this reactive piece on grief and gun violence.
Reviewed here

30 - 31 May 2018
Mbuzeni
Koleka Putuma's play is a piece of joyously vibrant South African theatre
Reviewed here

28 - 29 May 2018
A Feast of Bones
Theatre Lovett welcomes you to Le Monde Bouleversé, the setting of a captivating tale of vengeance and redemption.
Reviewed here

17 - 18 May 2018
Forbidden Stories
In a captivating production, Ludens Ensemble give a voice to the people of Cyprus who were long-silenced during the national civil war.
Reviewed here

1 - 5 May 2018
The Persians
Traverse Play, Pie, Pint season finishes with Meghan Tyler's light-hearted political comedy.
Reviewed here

24 April - 12 May 2018
Gut
In her captivating full-length play debut, Frances Poet brings to life the test of being a parent.
Reviewed here

17 - 21 April 2018
Margaret Saves Scotland
Yorkshire lass urges a disinterested Scotland to save itself in twee Val McDermid play.
Reviewed here

10 - 14 April 2018
Rachel's Cousins
Cancer brings a family back together in Ann Marie Di Mambro's latest drama.
Reviewed here

4 - 7 April 2018
Locker Room Talk
Gary McNair's eye-opening exploration of toxic masculinity is still highly relevant
Reviewed here

3 - 5 April 2018
The Duke
Shôn Dale Jones' performance at The Traverse comes across as more self-serving than selfless.
Reviewed here

21 - 24 March 2018
Winter Solstice
Playful and moving warning of fascism by Actors Touring Company and Orange Tree Theatre.
Reviewed here

13 - 17 March 2018
How to Act
Privilege and colonialism in the rehearsal room in NTS' widely-discussed two hander.
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

28 February - 1 March 2018
The Return
Ellie Stewart's story of faked identity tours to Speyside to warm welcome.
Reviewed at Boat of Garten Community Hall

21 - 24 February 2018
The Last Bordello
Multi-layered surrealist drama is worth the intense payoff.
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

13 - 17 February 2018
The Match Box
Firebrand's creative decisions get in the way of powerful grief-stricken monologue.
Reviewed here

1 February 2018
Sea Hames
Oceanallover take the audience on an aimless jaunt around the Traverse Theatre
Reviewed here

1 February 2018
Almost Alive
Sabine Molenaar returns to Manipulate with an epic performance
Reviewed here

31 January 2018
Off-Kilter
Ramesh Meyyappan presents a sold out personal physical theatre performance at Manipulate.
Reviewed here

30 January 2018
Ressacs
A humour-filled play about materialism that could do more to make its critical voice heard.
Reviewed here

30 January 2018
Achilles
Messy, unengaging work from a dedicated performer
Reviewed at Citizens Theatre

27 January 2018
Fighting Modernists
A thought provoking evening of Soviet animations.
Reviewed here

31 January 2017
The End of Things
The clock is ticking. Company of Wolves reminds us that the end will come.
Reviewed here

23 - 25 February 2017
Pink Mist
Owen Sheers' modern war tale is like a slow motion dream
Reviewed here

16 - 18 February 2017
Made in India
Three women's lives become interwoven at a surrogacy clinic, but is the transaction equal for all?
Reviewed here

9 - 11 February 2017
Fisk
A visually stunning performance, let down by an underdeveloped concept.
Reviewed here

4 February 2017
Coulrophobia
A hilarious, innovative and boundary-pushing piece of clownish theatre.
Reviewed here

3 February 2017
A House In Asia
The operation to kill Bin Laden told in doll's house miniature at Manipulate.
Reviewed here

2 February 2017
Touch Me
Sabine Molenaar questions the boundaries of intimacy, desire and touch.
Reviewed here

1 February 2017
Cities
Imaginative lo-fi visual theatre charms Aberdeen's Lemon Tree
Reviewed at The Lemon Tree

31 January 2017
La Causeuse
Olivia Faye Lathuilliere's physical theatre shows the unravelling of a relationship destined to fail.
Reviewed here

30 January 2017
Whispers
This 55-minute trance leaves you with your own thoughts and incoherencies about life.
Reviewed here

28 January 2017
Fisk
A visually stunning performance, let down by an underdeveloped concept.
Reviewed here

7 - 24 December 2017
Cinderella
Shona Reppe’s creative retelling of the classic fairytale leaves audience enthralled
Reviewed here

6 - 23 December 2017
How to Disappear
Tale of a recluse is a perfect alternative to the festive season
Reviewed here

18 November 2017
Chrysalis 2017
Stewart McLaren reports back on an inspiring weekend of youth theatre.
Reviewed here

8 - 11 November 2017
Tabula Rasa
Beautiful and brilliantly timely exploration of the end of life
Reviewed here

26 - 28 October 2017
Our Fathers
A pensive exploration of the effect of disagreement on key relational bonds.
Reviewed here

24 - 28 October 2017
From The Air
Funny and emotive two-hander, exploring a woman's struggle with a phobia and its consequent effect on her marriage.
Reviewed here

17 - 21 October 2017
Hysteria!
A funny, emotional journey through just a few recent acts of local, international and everyday sexism
Reviewed here

18 - 27 August 2017
Jess and Joe Forever
A captivatingly sweet love story and a yearning plea for a better world.
Reviewed here

15 - 27 August 2017
The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk
Incredible, inventive theatre-meets-circus-meets-art that will make your heart burst
Reviewed here

11 - 27 August 2017
Nassim
A polished, heartfelt, and involving production about the frustrations of miscommunication
Reviewed here

8 - 27 August 2017
Wild Bore
Enjoyable or loathsome on however many levels you can be bothered to discern
Reviewed here

6 - 27 August 2017
Eve
Theatre piece exploring one woman's personal "transitioning" journey.
Reviewed here

3 - 27 August 2017
Letters To Morrissey
Gary McNair tells an outsider's story via the most iconic one of all.
Reviewed here

7 - 9 June 2017
Shackleton
Blue Raincoat take an illuminating look at the explorer Shackleton.
Reviewed here

29 - 30 May 2017
Falling Dreams
A theatrical yet cinematic experience that brings the backstage onstage.
Reviewed here

11 - 13 May 2017
My Country: A Work in Progress
Glasgow is the first stop for The National's poignant, unexpectedly funny examination of Brexit Britain
Reviewed at Citizens Theatre

11 - 13 May 2017
Scorch
Uplifting and complicated story about genderqueer teenager falling in love for the first time.
Reviewed here

2 - 6 May 2017
Safe Place
An exploration of feminism, transgenderism and femininity.
Reviewed here

25 - 29 April 2017
Voices in Her Ear
A thought provoking, witty and involving exploration of celebrity psychics.
Reviewed here

20 April 2017
Stuff
It may be a work in progress but even with scripts in hand this play shows real promise.
Reviewed here

11 - 15 April 2017
Channelling Jabez
Name-droppy family history piece about a failed cross-Channel swimmer
Reviewed here

3 - 22 April 2017
Girl in The Machine
A dark and powerful science fiction drama from Stef Smith
Reviewed here

30 March - 1 April 2017
Offside
An inspiring story of women’s football, past and present.
Reviewed here

17 - 18 March 2017
Citizen
An important topic explored through music, dance and speech, but at times it lacks clarity
Reviewed here

17 - 18 March 2017
The Red Chair
Sarah Cameron’s captivating solo performance balances between a twisted fairytale and dark reality.
Reviewed here

14 - 15 March 2017
Transit
Culturally interesting but tale of loss and estrangement doesn't break new ground
Reviewed here

9 - 11 March 2017
Girls Like That
Brilliant Lyceum Youth Theatre cast depict the grottiness of online shaming
Reviewed here

3 - 4 March 2017
TuTuMucky / Dreamers
Energetic, intense and witty dance from this very dynamic company
Reviewed here

23 - 25 February 2017
Heads Up
Keiran Hurley's dystopian one man show challenges us to properly look at the people we are
Reviewed here

2 - 24 December 2016
Black Beauty
Intertextual mischief with a classic puts the rest out to pasture
Reviewed here

13 - 23 December 2016
Last Christmas
Sparse, and not very Christmassy, but this one-man Fringe piece is not without its charms.
Reviewed here

19 - 20 November 2016
The Island
Platform Young Company Ensemble tap into contemporary fears with post-apocalyptic drama.
Reviewed here

18 - 19 November 2016
Sheep
Tron Young Company takes a cynical look at efforts to end all war and how people are drawn into conflict.
Reviewed here

25 - 29 October 2016
One Thinks Of It All As A Dream
Syd Barrett's story affectionately told by Alan Bissett as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival
Reviewed here

20 - 22 October 2016
Him
Frank, fearless and funny monologue on an actor's life
Reviewed here

12 - 13 October 2016
Blow Off
A Punk Rock theatre show from Julia Taudevin, Kim Moore and Tuff Love.
Reviewed here

22 August 2016
Blow Off
A Punk Rock theatre show from Julia Taudevin, Kim Moore and Tuff Love.
Reviewed here

7 - 28 August 2016
The Red Shed
Mark Thomas pays tribute to his friends at Wakefield Labour Club in their 50th year
Reviewed here

4 - 28 August 2016
In Fidelity
A sweet exploration of the coupling instinct through a dating show format
Reviewed here

4 - 28 August 2016
My Eyes Went Dark
Tense airline disaster two-hander with geo-political undercurrents
Reviewed here

4 - 14 August 2016
Panti Bliss: High Heels in Low Places
A lot of self-awareness and intelligence at work, not just jokes about hair ’n’ heels from a rude dude in a frock
Reviewed here

1 - 12 November 2016
Grain in the Blood
A suspenseful and moving psychological drama about sacrifice jointly produced by the Tron and Traverse Theatres
Reviewed at Tron Theatre

18 - 22 October 2016
Walking on Walls
An unusual premise that offers plenty of laughs while making some serious points
Reviewed here

11 - 15 October 2016
Mischief
Elspeth Turner excels in this take on fierce motherly love and survival
Reviewed here

4 - 8 October 2016
Breaking the Ice
A farcical satire of bureaucrats and diplomats against the backdrop of a political struggle over the Arctic.
Reviewed here

17 - 24 December 2014
White
A charming introduction to theatre for the little ones or adults alike.
Reviewed here

6 - 8 June 2019
Alice in Wonderland
Pure theatre, pure Carroll and pure dead brilliant.  
Reviewed here

8 May 2016 - Invalid Date
Milk
A tense dramatic play from writer Ross Dunsmore.
Reviewed here

8 April 2017 - Invalid Date
Adam
The story of Adam Kashmiry is told with style and poignancy.
Reviewed here

8 April 2017 - Invalid Date
The Whip Hand
A beautifully written powerful and complex family drama.
Reviewed here

Invalid Date
Nassim
A polished, heartfelt, and involving production about the frustrations of miscommunication
Reviewed here

Invalid Date
Eulogy
Dark humour and plot twists abound in the latest A Play, A Pie & A Pint offering.
Reviewed here