A GIANT ON THE BRIDGE Will Tour Scotland in 2026
Scottish gig-theatre production explores themes of identity and restoration through music and storytelling
Following its premiere in 2024 and pop-up performance at Celtic Connections in 2025, A Giant on the Bridge embarks on a tour of Scotland in February and March 2026. Fusing original Scottish hip-hop, songwriting and storytelling, the show reveals the intimate human experiences relating to prison homecoming. Exploring identity, family, community, systems, restoration and injustice, the show finds a shared heartbeat within these stories.
The show is co-devised by singer-songwriter Jo Mango and award winning theatre-maker Liam Hurley, developed through the work of the Distant Voices Community, including research from Phil Crockett Thomas, and creative input from Rachel Sermanni. Most of the songs featured in the show were co-written by people with lived experience of the prison system in Scotland, for example prison returnees, families, support workers, prison service employees and prison arts workers.
Five of Scotland's leading contemporary musicians bring these songs on tour to Scottish audiences - Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Kim Grant (Raveloe), Dave Hook (Solareye, Stanley Odd), Jo Mango and Jill O'Sullivan (Jill Lorean). The tour follows a successful premiere in March 2024 and run at Edinburgh Fringe (as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase) in 2024, and a special performance at Glasgow's Tramway at Celtic Connections in 2025.
"I'm truly delighted that we'll be able to take A Giant on the Bridge on tour in 2026," said Jo Mango, who co-devised the production. "It's a project that's very dear to my heart, as it focuses on songwriting's extraordinary ability to bring people together and to join voices in dialogue. I saw that happen countless times in working with some of the 150 people who have written songs that fed into the show - from people in prison awaiting release, to those working in the criminal justice system, and others who are dealing with the harms caused by crime. And I'm going to be thrilled to once more look out from the stage and see the huge impact that those songs and their stories have, written on the faces of audiences across Scotland."
The show tours to:- Cottier's Theatre, Glasgow (25-26 Feb); The Byre Theatre, St Andrews (27 Feb); Macphail Centre, Ullapool (2 Mar); Lemon Tree, Aberdeen (4 Mar); Eden Court Theatre, Inverness (5 Mar); The Gaiety Theatre, Ayr (7 Mar); Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock (10 Mar); The Studio at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh (13 and 14 Mar); Tolbooth, Stirling (18 Mar); Birnam Arts, Birnam (19 Mar); LAS Portree, Skye (21 Mar). The tour is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
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