Short Attention Span Theatre to Showcase New Plays in Edinburgh

The Fringe might still be months away, but fear not theatre fans - you can enjoy a showcase of six new plays in Edinburgh on Wednesday 1st April 2026.

Short Attention Span Theatre (SAST), one of Scotland's most prolific champions of new short-form drama, is looking forward to returning to the capital's Gilded Saloon.

The show on Wednesday 1st April 2026 will offer six brand new plays - blending established literary voices with exciting emerging talent.

The evening will feature work by:

• Carnegie-nominated author Simon Lamb, whose picture book Mat o' Shanter was published by Scallywag Press in 2025
• Samantha Dooey-Miles, whose debut novel Under the Hammer was published by VERVE Books in March 2026
• Prolific Dumfries-based playwright and poet Tom Murray
• Actress and award-winning playwright Emma Findlay
• Glasgow-born actor, director and writer Leanne Cameron
• SAST founder Tom Brogan, whose play Who Killed Owen Taylor? steps into Old Hollywood as it dramatises the real-life story of how science fiction writer Leigh Brackett was hired to adapt Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel The Big Sleep.

The six plays span comedy, horror, the supernatural and raw emotional truth.

Highlights include a botched café robbery that turns into an impromptu therapy session (Taking the Empire), a darkly comic haunted house tale narrated by a storyteller who'd rather be somewhere else (The Daniels House of Horror) and a séance where the living prove harder to deal with than the dead (Matthew's Ghost).

The bill is completed by a tender monologue about attending a first gig in middle age (Dance to This) and a sharp two-hander about the baggage couples carry into new homes (You in a Box).

Directing alongside Brogan are Shamama Fatima, recently nominated for the Development Award at the Creative Edinburgh Awards 2025 and the SETA Awards 2025 for her growing contribution to Scotland's theatre landscape, and Lisa McDonald, Co-Artistic Director of Simply Surreal, whose recent credits include Moonswing and Graveyard of the Outcast Dead.

The cast features Sarah Pieraccini ("Calderwood has actually created a prime-time psychological revenge thriller. This is brought to life ... by Sarah Pieraccini, who plays Grace as a woman on a mission" - The Herald on the play Madonna/Whore), James Keenan (Cranberry Fizz), Trystan Youngjohn (Edinburgh Napier MFA graduate), Frazer Kirkland, and writer-performers Simon Lamb and Emma Findlay.

"This is one of the strongest line-ups we've ever assembled," says SAST founder and producer Tom Brogan. "We've got a Carnegie-nominated author, a novelist fresh off a book launch, award-winning directors, and actors with real screen and stage pedigree - all coming together for one night to premiere six completely new plays. That's what SAST has always been about: giving brilliant writers a stage and an audience on the night."

Founded in 2015 by Tom Brogan and Karen Barclay, SAST has produced work by over 100 writers across venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayr.

The company has built a reputation for accessible, high-quality evenings of new writing that give audiences a snapshot of Scotland's contemporary playwriting scene in a single sitting. This is the company's third appearance at the Gilded Saloon.

Plays:

Who Killed Owen Taylor? by Tom Brogan

Hollywood, 1944. Science fiction writer Leigh Brackett finds herself impossibly paired with William Faulkner to adapt Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep for Howard Hawks. Through Brackett's eyes, we discover how a "rosy-cheeked girl" writing bug-eyed monsters became Hollywood's secret weapon, proving that sometimes the best mysteries are the ones with no solution at all.

Taking the Empire by Leanne Cameron

Down-on-his-luck Dave attempts to rob a café, but meets his match in no-nonsense waitress Cheryl. What begins as an incompetent heist quickly transforms into an unexpected therapy session. A sharp, witty comedy about life's desperate moments and the surprising kindness found in unlikely places.

The Daniels House of Horror by Tom Murray

Jack and Alice Daniel have found their dream home - but when Jack disturbs a forbidden corner of the garden, something ancient stirs beneath the soil. Guided by a delightfully sardonic Narrator who'd rather be telling a romance, this darkly comic horror sends up every genre cliché while delivering genuine scares.

Matthew's Ghost by Samantha Dooey-Miles

When Evelyn visits a medium, Jim, hoping to contact her deceased boyfriend, she discovers that some spirits need no medium to torment us. Accompanied by sceptical friend Imogen, this wickedly funny play explores the haunting emotional aftermath of abandonment and the desperation for answers.

Dance to This by Simon Lamb

Ollie takes us on his journey to his first-ever gig in the big city - better late than never. Through a purple tower, a thunderstorm high above the streets and a music video on repeat, this warm, vulnerable monologue explores belatedly-experienced youth and what it means to finally dance after so long standing still.

You in a Box by Emma Findlay

Vicky and Nathan are packing for their first home together, but deciding what stays and what goes proves more complicated than expected. A sharp, funny two-hander exploring how couples navigate their pasts while building their futures.

Playwrights:

Tom Brogan

Tom Brogan is a writer, theatre producer and actor from Clydebank. He is the author of four books, including Dalglish: The Fifty Matches That Made the Player and has written for the Daily Record, When Saturday Comes and Nutmeg. Tom runs Short Attention Span Theatre, which, since 2015, has produced work by over 100 writers at venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayr. He is a director of Theatre 118, acclaimed by The Herald as "one of Scotland's most important arts venues." Tom also directs for this show.

Simon Lamb

Simon Lamb is the Carnegie-nominated author of A Passing On of Shells (Scallywag Press, 2023) and Mat o' Shanter (Scallywag Press, 2025). His writing for theatre includes Pass the Salt (On the Rocks, 2013), Time Begins at Midnight (SCDA One-Act Festival, 2017) and More Than This (Short Attention Span Theatre, 2024). He also conceived two seasons of newly-commissioned monologues by Scottish writers, Doormatters (Ayr Fort Players, 2022 & 2025). Simon also acts in this show.

Samantha Dooey-Miles

Samantha's fiction focuses on rage, shame and embarrassment. Her short stories have been published in New Writing Scotland, Gutter and Postbox, among others. She is a recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award and her debut novel, Under the Hammer, was published by VERVE Books in March 2026.

Tom Murray

Tom Murray is a playwright, poet, fiction writer, editor and mentor based in Dumfries. His plays are widely performed, and his publications include Gemini, The Permanent Room, There is a Place I Go, Sins of the Father and The Clash. He is currently a mentor on the Scottish Poetry Library Next Generation Young Makars Scheme and a former Scottish Poetry Library Poetry Ambassador.

Emma Findlay

Emma is an actress and writer from the North East of Scotland. A graduate of Acting Coach Scotland (2016), she recently wrapped on short film Standing on the Bridge (2026) and can be seen in Damaged on Amazon Prime (2024). Emma was nominated for Best Actress and won Best Acting Ensemble at Glasgow's 48 Hour Film Festival for Handcuffs (2025). Her debut play, Bittersweet, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe after winning a new-writing competition. Emma also acts in this show.

Leanne Cameron

Leanne is a Glasgow-born actor, director and writer from a working-class background. Her work focuses on hard-hitting issues told with humour, heart and plenty of Glasgow banter. Recent credits include the sell-out shows The Provy Wummin and Meet Me at Boots Corner with Arts Enigma and Budgies with Our Time Productions.

Directors:

Shamama Fatima

Shamama Fatima (she/her) is a Pakistani theatre director, actor and writer based in Edinburgh. Her directing credits include Play On (Resilience Theatre Movement), Liminal (The Crunch Collective), Is It Not Cold? (The Gateway Festival), and Nifty and Haud Yer Wheesht! (Short Attention Span Theatre). Assistant Director credits include The Mountaintop (The Lyceum) and Lewis Capaldi Goes Tropical (A Play, A Pie and A Pint). Shamama was recently nominated for the Development Award at the Creative Edinburgh Awards 2025 and the SETA Awards 2025.

Lisa McDonald

Lisa is a director, theatre maker and facilitator based in Edinburgh. As Co-Artistic Director of Simply Surreal, Lisa has produced and directed work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and on tour. Recent directing credits include Moonswing (Simply Surreal), Graveyard of the Outcast Dead (Reverb Theatre), Friendship Never Ends and Helping Hand (Short Attention Span Theatre), and Pathway of Miracles (St Giles' Choral Work).

Performers:

Trystan Youngjohn

Trystan (she/they) completed an MFA in Acting for Stage and Screen at Edinburgh Napier University and regularly performs as an actor, dancer, writer and clown across Scotland.

James Keenan

James has been working with Short Attention Span Theatre since 2019. He has recently finished filming ***** (5 Stars) and the award-winning short film Cranberry Fizz, both of which are hitting film festivals in 2026. Further theatre credits include Being Liza (Interabang Productions) and Madonna/Whore (Theatre 118).

Sarah Pieraccini

Sarah Pieraccini is an actress with over 10 years of theatre experience. She most recently played the lead in Madonna/Whore by Julie Calderwood, receiving a positive review from The Herald. She can also be seen playing Alaska in Skinjacker on Amazon Prime.

Frazer Kirkland

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