CHUNKY JEWELLERY By Scotland's Barrowland Ballet to Embark On International Tour
Chunky Jewellry will also perform at Teatr Śląski, Katowice, Poland; The Lowry, Salford; and the King's Theatre, Edinburgh, as part of its reopening season; and Dundee.
Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase, Chunky Jewellery will tour to the Open the Door International Festival at Teatr Śląski, Katowice, Poland; The Lowry, Salford; and the King's Theatre, Edinburgh, as part of its reopening season; and Dundee Rep. Further dates will be announced.
Two friends, one year, two births, a death, 18 bursts of laughter, 34,000 tears (each), and one piece of chunky jewellery.
It was a year to forget, but instead performers Jude Williams and Natasha Gilmore co-created an epic autobiographical show with Ben Duke (Lost Dog).
Over the kitchen tables of their Glasgow homes, two midlife single mothers navigate life, death and everything in-between. Combining a potent patchwork of theatre, dance, comedy, storytelling and songs the pair share intimate and private chapters of their lives in raw accounts of grief, resilience, courage and survival, dealing with narratives of death, infertility, cancer, and relationship breakdowns.
Get ready for messy birthday parties, an awkward dinner, and a bedside goodbye on a grand scale - with the set elevated into the epic by stage and Costume Designer Shizuka Hariu (Dekalog; Opera Super Angels, National Theatre Tokyo; Dystopian Dream, Sadler's Wells). Repurposing kids' toys as musical instruments, the show features a mixture of borrowed and original songs by Jude Williams, including a heart-warming rendition of And Then He Kissed Me by The Crystals, accompanied by a toy Xylophone.
Directed and co-created by Olivier-award nominated Ben Duke (Artistic Director of Lost Dog Dance, Juliet & Romeo, Paradise Lost) and produced by award-winning Scottish dance company Barrowland Ballet (Wee Man, The Gift), these uncompromising and formidable performers have co-created and delivered an unflinchingly human, autobiographical and life-affirming piece of theatre.
The creative team also includes Vicki Manderson as Associate Director (Burn, Orphan, National Theatre of Scotland; When Prophecy Fails, Groupwork at Edinburgh International Festival), Composer Davey Anderson (Black Watch, National Theatre of Scotland, Wild Rose, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh), original songs by Jude Williams (Sunshine on Leith, Peer Gynt, Dundee Rep), and Elle Taylor as Lighting Designer (June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me, National Theatre of Scotland).
Barrowland Ballet continue with international touring of their shows for children and young people, including The Unexpected Gift, which recently toured to the Big Umbrella Festival 2026 at the Lincoln Center, New York. The Unexpected Gift celebrates the art of play and curiosity, taking ordinary objects and making them extraordinary and magical. Bursting with energy, acrobatic dance, textures, sounds and colour to create a multi-sensory wonderland from the left-over boxes, ribbons and wrapping. This highly interactive and inclusive dance-theatre performance is made especially for and with children with complex needs ages 7-15 years.
The company also runs Wolf Pack, Scotland's first ever intergenerational dance company, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2026. In its time, Wolf Pack has seen 80 members take part in the company, aged between 7 - 80. To mark the anniversary, Wolf Pack will present work at Glasgow's Merchant City Festival (23 July - 1 August); and at Gathered Together, Scotland's Inclusive International Dance Festival at Tramway, Glasgow (2 - 5 September). Further dates will be announced.
Tour dates
Chunky Jewellery at the 9th Open the Door International Festival, Katowice
Teatr Śląski, Rynek 10, 40-003 Katowice, Poland
Thursday 11 June | 7pm (1hr 5mins) | Book at teatrslaski.art.pl
Chunky Jewellery at The Lowry, Salford
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
Saturday 26 September | 3pm and 7pm (1hr 5mins) | Book at thelowry.com
Chunky Jewellery at The King's Theatre, Edinburgh
2 Leven St, Edinburgh EH3 9LQ
Wednesday 21 October | 7.30pm (1hr 5 mins) | Book at capitaltheatres.com
Chunky Jewellery at Dundee Rep, Dundee | Tay Square, Dundee, DD1 1PB
Wednesday 10 March 2027 | 7.30pm (1hr 5mins) | Book at thelowry.com
Ages 14+ | Contains reference to death, infertility, cancer, and divorce.
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