Guns In Dragonland at theSpace @ Niddry Street

A stunning new work exploring gun violence through the eyes of children and the dragons who protect them.

Navigating youth is a universal challenge, but with the constant threat of firearms, American students are faced with their own mortality before they stop wearing tutus to school. Fortunately, these kids don't have to face this horror alone. Guns in Dragonland is a series of vignettes exploring American school society and its shocking overlap with gun culture, witnessed through the eyes of children and the guardian dragons who walk beside them. Told with humour, bravery, and deep compassion, this is a show that does not glorify violence, instead centering on connection, the power of play and imagination to heal, and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.

Written by Ithaca College graduate Eislinn Gracen, the play grew out of a conversation between Gracen and her seven-year-old brother, shortly after his school had a lockdown. When she asked him why they hid, he could only explain it in terms of a "bad man" — his innocence both devastating and clarifying.

"I think about him every day, knowing that he's going to school in what no longer feels like a safe place. I worry about his future. So I wrote this largely for him. As his dragon."

The first vignette was originally developed for the ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence programme, earning the endorsement of celebrated playwright David Henry Hwang. Expanded by LATI into a full-length work, the 2026 production is performed by students from Loyola Marymount University and directed by recent graduate Peta Jolly.

Los Angeles Theatre Initiative (LATI) is a new work development organisation dedicated to bringing original student theatre to the world's most celebrated stages. Having brought over 20 productions to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, LATI developed Guns in Dragonland in collaboration with playwright Eislinn Gracen and new work development producer Madeline Oberle. Produced by LATI Founder and Artistic Director Fiona McGrath, this Edinburgh run marks the show's return following a critically acclaimed 2025 debut.

"Thought-provoking, moving, powerful and filled with important social commentary."
— Starburst Magazine

"Surprising and extraordinary."
— David Henry Hwang, Playwright & ENOUGH! panelist