What’s on stage

MUST-SEE THEATRE TOURING SCOTLAND

Death on the Nile, Aberdeen — Photograph: Manuel Harlan

Following the sell-out tour of Murder on the Orient Express, the European premiere of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile stars Outlander’s Mark Hadfield as Poirot.

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, 17 to 21 February
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 24 to 28 February
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 24 to 28 March

A brand new staging of the award winning movie Shawshank Redemption will be in both Glasgow and Edinburgh this spring. Starring Joe McFadden and Ben Onwukwe, it’s the tale of unlikely friends who find each other while serving sentences in the notorious Shawshank prison.

Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh 20 to 24 January
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 24 to 28 March

Bacchae Glasgow — Photograph: Louise Mather for The Citz

An outcast god. A powerless king. A mother who kills her only son. Glasgow’s acclaimed Company of Wolves are taking The Bacchae, a solo retelling of the myth of Dionysos written by Ewan Downie, all over Scotland this spring.

Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow, 4 to 7 March
The Studio, Edinburgh 9 to 10 March
Stromness Town Hall, Orkney, 13 March
Cromarty Hall, St Margaret’s Hope, Orkney, 14 March

We’re excited to see a stripped back and reimagined version of George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan too. Directed by Stewart Laing, with a film sequence written and directed by Adura Onashile, it’s an extraordinary tale of power, gender and youth-led change.

Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow, 14 to 28 February
Perth Theatre and Concert Hall, 4 to 7 March
Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, 12 to 14 March
Traverse Theatre, 18 to 21 March

MUST-SEE THEATRE IN ABERDEEN

Talented Mr Rpiley — Maisie Smith as Marge Sherwood and Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenwood. Photograph: Mark Senior

The Talented Mr. Ripley is coming to His Majesty’s Theatre (10 to 14 February), part of a UK tour of an electrifying production of Patricia Highsmith’s gripping story of obsession.

MUST-SEE THEATRE IN DUNDEE

Everyone knows how Jason won the Golden Fleece, but what about his wife, Medea? This new production (Dundee Rep, 4 March) fills in the narrative.

MUST-SEE THEATRE IN EDINBURGH

Sticking with the Greek theme, Medusa makes its stage premiere at Summerhall (March 6 to 8). A powerful new piece of theatre that explores the impact of hormones on the body, and the pathologisation of the menstrual cycle and its effects on mental and physical health.

Lucky you if you’ve got tickets to see Jodie Comer in Prima Facie (3 to 7 February). The Killing Eve star won awards for this gripping one-woman play about a working class barrister at the top of her game. It’s sold out, but keep your eye out for returns!

MUST-SEE THEATRE IN GLASGOW

Sheridan Smith is in the middle of her triumphant stage return in a revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s 1985 play Woman in Mind (10 to 14 March). Coming north to Theatre Royal, Glasgow from a run in the West End, it’s a dark comedy that follows housewife Susan after her reality is split in two after a bump on the head.

The Citizen’s Theatre launches into the New Year with Size Matters (30 to 31 January) a wildly inventive new show from Mamoru Iriguchi blending puppetry, science and surrealist theatre.

That’s followed by Matthew Kelly and George Costigan who star in a new staging of Samuel Beckett’s classic play, Waiting for Godot (20 February to 14 March) – in which absolutely nothing happens.  Beckett’s timeless play is worth a revisit for all its strange, funny and heartbreaking brilliance.

Musicals galore

MUSICALS TOURING SCOTLAND

Following two sold out and critically acclaimed West End seasons, John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers – The Play will be in Glasgow (King’s Theatre, Jan 13 to 18) this January, followed by a week-long stint at Aberdeen’s Music Hall (20 January to 24 January), before finishing up at Edinburgh’s Playhouse (27 to 31 January).

MUSICALS IN ABERDEEN

Any Aberdonians seeking some sun can be transported to the Greek islands for two weeks… Yes, the touring performance of Mamma Mia hits His Majesty’s Theatre (27 January to 7 February).

MUSICALS IN DUNDEE

Beloved BBC Scotland comedy The High Life – The Musical, Still Living It! makes its stage debut at the Dundee Rep Theatre (27 March to 4 April) in 2026, featuring all four original cast members – Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart. Should be a riot!

MUSICALS IN EDINBURGH

Jason Donovan in drag? Why not. He’ll be taking to the stage at the Edinburgh Playhouse for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (6 to 10 January), reprising his role as Frank-n-Furter.

MUSICALS IN GLASGOW

Direct from the West End Showstopper! The Improvised Musical rocks up at the Citizen’s Theatre (6 to 7 February) with a bang. A must-see Edinburgh Fringe show, a brand new musical comedy is created from scratch at each performance with hilarious results.

Best of the ballet

BALLET TOURING SCOTLAND

Scottish Ballet continue their nationwide tour of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen.

Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 3 to 17 January
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, 21 to 24 January

Slightly hotter, Carlos Acosta’s brand-new production Nutcracker in Havana is an exuberant Cuban reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score. A new production featuring more than 20 dancers, classical ballet mixes with the rhythms and spirit of Cuban dance.

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, January 15 to 17
Inverness, Eden Court, January 20 to 21
Edinburgh Festival Theatre, February 3 to 4

BALLET IN EDINBURGH

Combining vocabulary derived from Indian classical dance with live music and spoken word, The Gaze – you, me, us and them is an interactive dance and film installation exploring society’s critical gaze on women’s bodies. For one night only and The Studio (28 February) it’s a chance to see this evocative new performance by Edinburgh-based choreographer and dancer Himadri Madan.

BALLET AND DANCE IN GLASGOW

Matthew Bourne’s magical double Olivier Award-winning production of the legendary Powell and Pressburger film, The Red Shoes comes to Glasgow’s King’s Theatre (27 to 31 January). A timeless fairytale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world.

An extravaganza of sequins and snake hips, Strictly Come Dancing Live is coming to Glasgow OVO Hydro (7 to 8 February). See the stars from the show, including celebs, phenomenal professionals, and of course the judges, including Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood. It’s an extravaganza of sequins.

Operatic highs

OPERA TOURING SCOTLAND

Scottish Opera is bringing the world premiere of The Great Wave by Japanese composer Dai Fujikura and Scottish librettist Harry Ross to Glasgow this February, before touring. It’s a musical retelling of the story behind Katsushika Hokusai and his world-famous woodblock print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Theatre Royal Glasgow, 12 and 14 February
Festival Theatre Edinburgh, 19 and 21 February

The company is also performing Wagner’s timeless tale of forbidden love Tristan und Isolde for two nights (or rather afternoons – the long running time means they start early so plan ahead) only at

Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 7 March
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 11 March

Office Party on tour Scotland — Chloe Harris, Luvo Maranti, James Geidt and Ceferina Penny in Scottish Opera’s Opera Highlights. Photograph: Sally Jubb

Just as you recover from the office Christmas party, Scottish Opera transforms small local venues into local opera houses for its version The Office Party. It’s a raucous story of a messy love triangle, featuring four talented singers and extracts from much-loved classics and lesser-known treasures.

Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 3 February,
Devonvale Hall, Tillicoultry, 5 February
Victoria Halls, Helensburgh, 7 February
Wauchope Hall, Town Yetholm, 10 February
Newton Stewart Cinema, 12 February
Dunlop Village Hall, 14 February
Dalmally Community Centre, 17 February
Dornie Community Hall, 19 February
An Lanntair, Stornoway, 21 February
Gairloch Community Centre, 24 February
Newtonmore Village Hall, 26 February
The Barn Arts, Banchory, 28 February
Fraserburgh Leisure Centre, 3 March
Victoria Hall, Cromarty, 5 March
Orkney Theatre, 7 March
Assembly Rooms, Wick, 10 March
Lairg Community Centre, 12 March
Reconnect Regal Theatre, Bathgate, 14 March

Comedy highlights

COMEDY IN GLASGOW

Sue Perkins Glasgow — Photograph: Steve Ullathorne

It’s all eyes on Glasgow this spring for the 2026 Glasgow International Comedy Festival (11 to 29 March). One of Europe’s largest comedy festivals, it features stand-up, sketch and improv from Scotland and beyond. We’ve got our eye on performances from Judi Love, Mike Wozniak, Mhairi Black, Marjolein Robertson, Bridget Christie, Sue Perkins (also appearing in Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness) and Susie McCabe.

Literary events and talks

TALKS IN ABERDEEN

If you’re a crime fiction fiend, you’ll want to head to the Granite Noir Festival (17 to 22 February). There’s loads in the programme but for us it’s about the queens of crime Denise Mina and Val McDermid, who headline the festival, and legendary Shetland author Ann Cleeves.

TALKS IN EDINBURGH

Be still your beating hearts! Outlander heartthrob Sam Heughan will be in conversation at the The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh (27 January). He’ll be reflecting on his beginnings in the Lyceum Youth Theatre through to his recent role as Macbeth with the RSC.

TALKS IN PITLOCHRY

Returning for its 22nd year, this edition of Winter Words (12 to 15 February) is curated by Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s creative director Alan Cummings. Featuring authors, poets, broadcasters and chefs it’s a celebration of Scotland’s rich artistic, literary, historical and cultural life. Lots is already sold out but we’re booking tickets for Edinburgh Makar Michael Pedersen, Ian Rankin and Nicola Sturgeon.

Festivals

FESTIVALS IN ABERDEEN

Delve, literally, into the rich culture of Orkney and Shetland with this weekend festival of music, film, and spoken word (6 to 8 February) curated by acclaimed Shetland fiddle player Chris Stout and hosted at the Lemon Tree.

FESTIVALS IN EDINBURGH

Ocho at Manipulate Festival Edinburgh — Photograph: Tim Davies

Manipulate Festival is back with a bang for its 19th edition (4 to 10 February) with four World Premieres and six Scottish premieres on stage. Breakdancing bugs, candyfloss puppets, live woodworking, stick men in the midst of an existential crisis, an illuminated octopus and a vodka-fuelled concert about death are just a few of the delights popping up at eight venues across the city.

FESTIVALS IN GLASGOW

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland takes over Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts to host Emergence Festival (21 to 24 January). It’s a showcase of diverse new work from the graduating artists of the MFA Acting/Directing Classical and Contemporary Text programme: provocative live performances and gripping short films.

California Schemin' Glasgow Film Festival

As always the Glasgow Film Festival (25 February to 8 March) brings a packed programme of international premieres to sit alongside the best of Scottish cinema and special events. We’re particularly excited to see James McAvoy’s directorial debut California Schemin’, which follows aspiring Scottish rap duo Silibil N’ Brains, a.k.a. Gavin Bain (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley), as they devise an audacious scheme to achieve their dream of a record deal, by posing as Californian hip hop artists.

FESTIVALS IN PITLOCHRY

Out in the Hills (16 to 18 January) is bringing the rainbow to January. Three days of theatre, music, film and dancing celebrating all things LGBTQIA+. Ian McKellen, Graham Norton, Evelyn Glennie and Jackie Kay will all be there. Expect a first look at brand new plays, beautiful exhibitions of photography and wide ranging discussions from football to crime writing and baking. It’s an invitation to find new ways to look at the world and each other.

Art and exhibitions

EXHIBITIONS IN ABERDEEN

Never Make a Head Bigger than a Melon, the inaugural exhibition of Aberdeen’s Gray’s School of Art, continues (until 12 April). It’s part of a series of events to mark its 140th anniversary, celebrating its heritage, studio practice, teaching and cultural influence on the North East.

EXHIBITIONS IN EDINBURGH

Joseph-Mallord-William-Turner-Sea-View-mid-1820s.-Henry-Vaughan-Bequest-1900.-National-Galleries-of-Scotland — Joseph Mallord William Turner, Sea View mid-1820s. Henry Vaughan Bequest 1900. National Galleries of Scotland

It’s iconic in its reliability and its capacity to bring joy to the gloomiest month. Turner in January (1 to 31 January) is luminous at the Royal Scottish Academy. Read our review.

Life-sized 3D sculptures, skeletons, and fossils – what’s not to love? Giants, an immersive family-friendly exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh opens at the National Museum of Scotland on 31 January. A showcase of the colossal prehistoric creatures that lived after the extinction of the dinosaurs, 66 million years ago.

Meanwhile, at the City Art Centre, there’s an ongoing exhibition of the work of Glasgow artist Michael Fullerton (until 1 March). A painter, printmaker and sculptor, he examines how information is produced and circulated, how science and technology shape public narratives and repositions individuals that have been misrepresented or overlooked.

Mona Yoo Edinburgh City Art Centre — Mona Yoo, ‘There Is Not Even Silence In The Void’, 2023. Courtesy the artist

The space then pivots to Mona Yoo’s multi-media installation (7 March to 12 April) based on her research of the architectural history of the art centre’s building. Bringing together new sculptural works and interventions with items selected from the city’s collections, she reimagines the fourth-floor space to evoke echoes of the past.

EXHIBITIONS IN GLASGOW

GoMA marks its 30th anniversary this year. Kicking it off is an extensive new exhibition of photography Still Glasgow (until 13 Jun 2027). Showing 80 images past and present from the museum’s collection, it includes the previously unexhibited photograph of rock band Franz Ferdinand by Alan Dimmick and David Eustace’s Buskers Portfolio.

Glasgow artist Rae-Yen Song’s transformation of Tramway’s vast gallery space into •~TUA~• 大眼 •~MAK~• continues (until 16 August) and is well worth a visit. Shaped according to the ancestral logics of the Song family, it immerses visitors into a phantasmagoric watery abyss populated by ancestral characters.

EXHIBITIONS IN IRVINE

It’s the last chance to pay a visit to Fortitudo, at the Scottish Maritime Museum (until 18 January) in Irvine. Italian artist Paola Folicaldi Suh’s exhibition captures scenes and portraits which vividly reimagine the extraordinary survival story of Shackleton and his crew on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition or ‘Endurance Expedition’ in 1914.

Music

GIGS IN GLASGOW

It’s a triple bill of feminine power on stage in Glasgow. Florence + The Machine brings The Everybody Scream Tour to the OVO Hydro (9 February), swiftly followed by RAYE (20 and 21 February).

Lily Allen Glasgow OVO — Photograph: Charlie Denis

But we’re most hyped about seeing Lily Allen playing the entirety of her West End Girl album at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (March 2), a chance to see the creative power of perimenopausal rage in a more intimate venue before she returns to the city to play the OVO in the summer.

WORLD MUSIC IN GLASGOW

Celtic Connections is back (15 January to 1 February) and honestly, it’s hard to know where to begin with the highlights. There’s an impressive line-up of international artists, homegrown talent and unique creative collaborations.

Here’s some starters for ten. We’re excited to hear iconic Malian singer Rokia Koné. She’s famed for her work with feminist supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique.

We’ve also got our eye on tickets for celebrated Cuban collective Buena Vista All Stars, featuring master musicians from the famous Buena Vista Social Club of 30 years ago. There’s also Grammy-winning Americana singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. When it comes to talent from Scotland, showstopping Celtic rock/pop band Skerryvore is a must see.

Ayoub sisters glasgow — Photograph: Sally Zarzour

The Ayoub Sisters, an Egyptian duo who grew up in Glasgow, will be making the world premiere of their Arabic Symphony. And the renowned, annual sell-out Roaming Roots Revue is back. Curated by Emmy Award-winning Scottish musician, composer and broadcaster Roddy Hart this year’s features Elbow’s Guy Garvey among others.

CLASSICAL CONCERTS TOURING SCOTLAND

As always the Scottish Chamber Orchestra has a comprehensive programme of classical music being performed all over the country. We’re particularly excited to see Nicola Benedetti playing Mendelssohn’s exhilarating Violin Concerto.

Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 26 February
City Halls, Glasgow, 27 February
Eden Court, Inverness, 28 February

CLASSICAL CONCERTS IN EDINBURGH

David Attenborough Edinburgh — Ocean With David Attenborough Photograph: Keith Scholey ©Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios

As part of Sir David Attenborough’s centenary celebrations, the stunning new live experience Ocean in Concert arrives at the Usher Hall on 12 March. The award-winning film will be accompanied by the Scottish Ensemble, conducted by Robert Ziegler, they will be performing Steven Price’s score live to the award-winning feature documentary Ocean with David Attenborough.

The culture hit list: 70+ things to see, hear and book this new year

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