Tony-Nominee Gayle Rankin To Lead THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE 2026 Scotland Tour

National Theatre of Scotland will present a new production of THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, adapted by David Harrower from the novel by Muriel Spark, touring Scotland in 2026. Directed by Vicky Featherstone, the production will feature Gayle Rankin in the title role and will be presented in partnership with The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

The production will mark 60 years since the premiere of the original stage version of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and will also coincide with celebrations marking the birthday of author Muriel Spark, who was born in Edinburgh on February 1, 1918. To mark the occasion, National Theatre of Scotland will release newly commissioned images of Rankin as Jean Brodie, photographed by Rankin in his London studio.

Adapted for the stage by Scottish playwright David Harrower, the production represents the first time his version of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie will be performed in Scotland, following its original staging at The Donmar Warehouse in 2018. The novel, first published in The New Yorker and released in book form in 1961, is set in Edinburgh in 1936 and was inspired in part by a teacher at James Gillespie’s School for Girls. It has since been adapted for stage, film, and television.

Rankin, who makes her National Theatre of Scotland debut with the production, previously appeared as one of the schoolgirls in a 2003 Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh staging of the play. Her theatre credits include her Tony-nominaed performance as Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway, as well as Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew. Her screen work includes GLOW, House of the Dragon, Perry Mason, Men, Blow the Man Down, Bad Things, and The Greatest Showman.

Rankin said, “Working with the legendary photographer Rankin was an incredible experience. His deep curiosity as an artist, alongside Vicky Featherstone and me, helped crack open the earliest beginnings of our Jean Brodie—approaching her not just as an icon, a myth or character, but as a real woman for our time. We were thrilled to start this journey with Rankin's lens on her.”

Rankin added, “It was a thrill and a privilege to be invited to capture the extraordinary Gayle Rankin in the iconic role of the dangerous but alluring Jean Brodie. Her power as an actor brought an electric theatricality to the shoot as can be seen in the final images. It was fantastic to collaborate with the National Theatre of Scotland on this production, which I hope I can get to see later this year.”

The story centers on Miss Jean Brodie, a junior-school teacher at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls who selects a group of students she refers to as her “set,” shaping their lives through lessons on art, politics, and personal freedom while demanding complete loyalty in return. Her influence over the girls ultimately leads to consequences that place both herself and her students at risk.

Featherstone said, “20 years after we made our first tentative steps towards what a National Theatre for Scotland could be, I am honoured to be part of this year's celebrations, with what is undoubtably one of the most iconic characters and stories ever written. It is testament to Spark that this story penned in 1961 Edinburgh, feels as sharp, as shocking, as thrilling, as alive as it did on publication and is an incredible opportunity to exalt the exceptional theatre artists and celebrate Scottish audience's unbridled passion for theatre that gave us the courage to begin all those years ago.”