WOODY SEZ: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie to Return to the US and the UK

This year, Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie is returning to stages on both sides of the Atlantic, with productions in the United Kingdom and the United States celebrating the life, music, and enduring legacy of Woody Guthrie.

Featuring more than two dozen songs—including This Land Is Your Land, Bound for Glory, Pastures of Plenty, Vigilante Man, Deportees, and The Ballad of Tom Joad—the production combines Guthrie's music with stories drawn from his autobiography, letters, journals, and newspaper columns to create an intimate portrait of one of America's most influential artists.

As conversations about democracy, workers' rights, inequality, immigration, and the American identity continue to shape public discourse, Guthrie's words feel as relevant today as when they were first written. The international celebration begins this summer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before transferring to London's Underbelly Boulevard Soho, then returns to the United States this autumn as the centerpiece of Voices Festival Productions' Voices From a Changing Nation festival in Washington, D.C.

Rooted in American folk history, Guthrie’s music resonates with contemporary audiences. His songs remain a cornerstone of American folk and protest music and the artists he inspired: from Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen to Chuck D, Tom Morello, The Dropkick Murphys and Jessie Welles.

Devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley and Darcie Deaville, Helen Jean Rusell & Andy Teirstein, Woody Sez is performed by four actor-musicians playing more than twenty instruments, capturing the communal spirit of American folk music through live performance and storytelling. The 2026 presentations are produced by Sam Ellis, Larry Hirschhorn, Woodfin Music, and Brannon Wiles.

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE

Dates: August 5–30, 2026
Venue: Underbelly Cowbarn (Bristo Square), Edinburgh
Tickets: Available at the Underbelly and Edinburgh Fringe Box Offices.

LONDON

Dates: September 8–19, 2026 
Venue: Underbelly Boulevard Soho
Tickets: Available through Underbelly Boulevard Soho.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Presented by Voices Festival Productions