Scottish Theatre Highlights: November 2023

This month provides opportunities to see theatre at every scale, including ambitious projects by student and amateur groups. We kick off with John McKay's Dead Dad Dog, which began its run in London last month, will visit Edinburgh's Traverse (1-4 Nov). 35 years after its initial run, the play provides a vital exploration of grief and male relationships.

The Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) will present the UK premiere of Chalk, a sci-fi thriller by award-winning playwright Walt McGough. EGTG's original take on this tense work reflects life during and after a global pandemic (8-11 Nov, Assembly Roxy).

Bare Productions, a staple of Edinburgh's amateur theatre scene, will stage a workshop of its first original musical, No Spray No Lay (17-18 Nov, St Augustine's Church). Set in the bathroom of a nightclub in 2005, the production celebrates female friendship and empowerment. 

Pitlochry Festival Theatre kicks off its holiday season with Stephen Greenhorn's classic Scottish musical, Sunshine on Leith. Set to the music of The Proclaimers, the production promises to be a heartwarming outing for a variety of audiences. (17 Nov-23 Dec, Pitlochry Festival Theatre).

The Traverse also offers two new works – Learning To Fly (17-18 Nov), written by James Rowland, follows an unlikely friendship between a teenaged James and his unusual neighbour. Traverse will also host the world premiere of Framework Theatre Company's Play Pretend (24-25 Nov). The production challenges historical fiction through a feminist lens and is staffed entirely by emerging and early-career theatre makers.