Scottish Theatre Highlights: October 2022
There's tons of great shows touring theatres across the world – and this October, a good handful of them reach Scotland
October is a fantastic month to catch a show on tour. Theatres across Scotland are hosting a variety of compelling productions, as well as staging a few of their own. Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre kicks off the month with Rob Drummond's Don't. Make. Tea. (5-8 Oct) produced by Birds of Paradise, Scotland's disability-led theatre company. The Traverse is also staging Martin McDonagh's Tony Award-winning play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane (19-22 Oct). Both shows fall under the Traverse's £1 Ticket Scheme.
The Edinburgh Horror Festival (27-31 Oct) also takes the stage around Halloween time. Jen Macgregor's Old Bones, a one-man show featuring Daniel Hird, follows James Napier as he tries anything and everything to escape his brother's shadow (27 Oct).
Glasgow's Platform continues to stage a variety of exciting productions, including Unbecoming (27 Oct), a multi-disciplinary solo show about motherhood, loss, and rage by Company of Wolves. Cutting Edge Theatre's Downs with Love (15 Oct) follows a young girl with Down's Syndrome as she tries to navigate love and relationships. Jordan and Skinner present their radical feminist work Time Machine (7-8 Oct) which runs at Platform before transferring to the Traverse in November.
Several other touring shows are worth noting: Stellar Quines' Sister Radio (19 Oct) continues its tour this month at the Byre Theatre in St. Andrews, Glasgow's Tron Theatre, and the Perth Theatre. The National Theatre of Scotland's Enough of Him (from 28 Oct) will begin its tour at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Isobel McArthur's Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of) will tour the country, landing at Edinburgh's Lyceum on 18 October, and performer/songwriter Amy Duncan's collaboration with writer/director Ben Harrison, Undertow Overflow, tours Scotland next month as well. Wonder Fools' 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (until 5 Nov) also continues its tour while world-renowned choreographer Deborah Colker makes her directorial debut with Scottish Opera's Ainadamar (29 Oct-12 Nov).