National Theatre of Scotland announces premieres

Red Dust Road and Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation will premiere at the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) and Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) respectively.

A coproduction with HOME Manchester, Red Dust Road is based on the soul-searching memoir of Scots Makar Jackie Kay. Adapted for the stage by award-winning writer Tanika Gupta, it will be performed at the Royal Lyceum Theatre (14-18 August).

Kay’s Red Dust Road navigates the challenges of growing up as a mixed race adopted Scot, and how inherited identity is shaped by songs as much as by cells. Sasha Frost plays Jackie Kay with Elaine C Smith also joining the cast.

Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation by theatrical experimenter Tim Crouch will premiere at The Studio (7-25 August) before touring throughout the UK. The show is produced by NTS in association with the Royal Court, Lisbon’s Teatro do Bairro Alto and Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA). The play follows a man who manipulates a group of people to believe in an untruth. The performance incorporates stage action and illustrated text, with illustrations by Rachana Jadhhav.

Following last year’s partnership on The Scale of Female Ambition, EIF and NTS are collaborating on a new artist development opportunity for the summer festival season: the Engine Room: Navigating International Water scheme offers support to five selected performance makers from Scotland’s BAME communities via discussions, events, panels and optional one-on-one advice sessions with NTS staff members.

The scheme supports and enables leading artists working in live performance, theatre, dance or music, to meet and connect with their peers, as well as the opportunity to experience a curated programme of EIF productions.

nationaltheatrescotland.com