We're delighted to share further details of our Traverse Festival 2021 programme. Celebrate new writing with us this summer in person, outdoors and online.
Browse What's On, including TravFest21 events
MultiStory events
As previously announced, the Traverse will be presenting three productions at Edinburgh’s newest Festival venue, MultiStory, including A Play, A Pie and A Pint - Aye, Elvis by Morna Young and A Play, A Pie and A Pint - Chic Murray: A Funny Place for a Window by Stuart Hepburn, both of which are on sale now.
Class Act will also take to the MultiStory stage for one afternoon only on Sun 22 Aug at 4.30pm, becoming part of our August Festival programme for the first time with Class Act 2020 Showcase. Featuring live performance as well as short films, animation and more, each script has been written by students from four local secondary schools - Craigroyston Community High School, Boroughmuir High School, Broughton High School and Royal High School – who participated in the Traverse’s flagship education project, Class Act, in 2020. Their work has now been brought to life by a team of professional theatre-makers including directors, actors, filmmakers and musicians. Tickets for Class Act 2020 Showcase will be available on Wed 4 Aug.
Other in-person events
We are pleased to announce the writing team for Eavesdropping (from 20 Aug), the latest instalment in ThickSkin's Walk This Play® series of location-based audio plays. Hannah Lavery (The Drift) and Sarah MacGillivray will take audiences on an adventure through the streets of Edinburgh, revealing new sides to and stories of the city and the people who (may) live here.
Following the relaxation of social distancing, a limited number of additional tickets will be available soon for each performance of Move (3-7 Aug) at Silverknowes Beach, and Still (2-22 Aug) and This is Paradise (24-29 Aug) in Traverse 1, which were previously sold out.
Tickets for Eavesdropping and extra tickets for in-person performances will go on sale on Wed 4 Aug.
Digital events
Most previously announced digital events are now on sale and available to book. This includes interactive livestreamed performances of Love Letters at Home (16-19 Aug) and Shedinburgh (3-30 Aug), and on-demand performances of On Blueberry Hill (10-16 Aug), An Evening With An Immigrant (17-23 Aug), and We’ll Meet in Moscow (10-31 Aug).
On-demand versions of Move (from 24 Aug), Still (from 31 Aug) and This is Paradise (from 31 Aug) will be on sale on Wed 4 Aug.
First Stages Festival: Summer 21
We can reveal that events for the Summer 2021 edition of our popular First Stages Festival will include a reading of James Ley’s new Traverse commissioned play, Wilf, workshops from Apphia Campbell and Uma Nada-Rajah, and a selection of digital Positive Stories for Negative Times performances.
The full line-up for First Stages Festival: Summer 21 will be announced in early August, with most events taking place from Mon 30 August.
How we're keeping you safe
We are adhering to social distancing for all in-person events. Traverse 1 will be an allocated venue for the foreseeable future, with audiences able to book specific seats in bubbles of 1, 2 or 4 seats comprised of individuals from the same household. Audiences will be required to wear masks whilst in the Traverse and throughout in-person performances, unless medically exempt.
As the world continues to open up, we know that some audiences may feel nervous about booking, so we guarantee any bookers for in-person events full refunds at any point before their booked performance, no questions asked.
Full COVID-19 safety procedures will be in place across all sites, which will be shared with bookers before their visit, and our current procedures can be viewed by anyone on the How We’re Keeping You Safe section of our website.