Scottish Theatre Highlights: December 2024

It’s December, and the family-friendly Christmas theatre is frankly inescapable – don’t fight it. Scottish Ballet transport you into a literal chocolate box with Tchaikovsky's festive banger, The Nutcracker, taking up residency in Glasgow's Theatre Royal (6-30 Dec) before touring the nation in the new year. 

For the pantomime enthusiasts, your first port of call must be Glasgow’s Tron for Johnny McKnight’s Peter Pan and the Incredible Stinkerbell (until 5 Jan). Fans of this auteur of Scottish panto can also catch a production in Stirling’s Macrobert, with Snow White running until 31 December. Òran Mór’s panto comes via A Play, a Pie and a Pint, with Weans in the Wood(lands) serving up hyper local humour with a side of pastry (until 5 Jan).

Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre presents Cinderella (until 31 Dec), starring stalwarts of the genre Grant Stott and Allan Stewart as the wicked stepmother and fairy godmother respectively, featuring singing, dancing, some flying horses and a confrontingly large number of references to the Hibees. Festival Theatre’s Studio space also has a non-panto production, with Barrowland Ballroom’s The Gift (14-31 Dec) presenting physical theatre for the very young.

For a family-friendly theatre trip that doesn’t include anyone shouting ‘he’s behind you’ or lobbing sweets at your head, the Lyceum has you covered. Treasure Island (until 4 Jan) promises a swashbuckling adventure featuring a young Jim Hawkins working at North Edinburgh’s finest accommodation for reformed pirates and past-it privateers. Dundee Rep celebrates the city’s local heritage, with a live action musical production of Oor Wullie (until 30 Dec) catering to all your Jings! Crivvens! Help Ma Boab! needs.

Even Christmas won’t stop the Traverse from developing new Scottish playwriting talent. 4Play presents four plays by new Scottish playwrights (4-7 Dec) with new, full length works by Ruaraidh Murray, Mikey Burnett, Andrea McKenzie and Katy Nixon arriving on stage on consecutive nights. The Class Act Winter Showcase (12-13 Dec), meanwhile, presents work written by young people from Firrhill High School, Trinity Academy, Tynecastle High School and Intercultural Youth Scotland, brought to the stage by the Trav’s team of professional theatre makers.