The Borrowed Room at Woody's

An intimate theatre and literature event, presented as part of Pride House Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 in partnership with LEAP Sports Scotland and in aid of the charity Waverley Care.

“A tense and intimate chamber piece.” — James McEnaney, The Herald

“Pacey, thoughtful, full-of-heart theatre.” “A script with huge heart, compassion and empathy.” — Claire Wood, The Wee Review

Only 25 public tickets are available for each event.

This is a not-for-profit event. Ticket income supports fair pay for the actors. All surplus income will be donated to Waverley Care, Scotland’s HIV and hepatitis C charity, which supports people affected by these conditions.

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In a small library meeting room in a Scottish coastal town, two men who grew up together meet to record a conversation about why some people leave and others stay. What begins as an ordinary interview gradually becomes something far more personal.

Unfolding in real time, The Borrowed Room is an intimate Scottish chamber play informed by lived experience, exploring masculinity, memory, belonging and the pressures of growing up in a small place. As old stories resurface, humour and shared history give way to questions of shame, silence and accountability. Set against the experience of difference in rural Scotland, the play asks what happens when one person returns to confront a past another believed had long since passed.

Written by Dr Steven Maxwell and directed by Dr Edgar Rodriguez-Dorans, this special staged development performance brings The Borrowed Room to Pride House Glasgow 2026 as part of an intimate evening of theatre, literature and conversation.

The production stars Mark Kydd (Outlander, Clique, Taggart) and Adam Tomkins, co-founder of Theatre Imperative and director of The Wee One, bringing together two exceptional Scottish performers for this new staging of The Borrowed Room.

Each performance is followed by a 40-minute post-show conversation with leading Scottish writers, exploring the themes of the play alongside wider discussions of queer Scottish literature: masculinity, memory, identity and belonging.

Friday 31 July features a post-show conversation with Professor Zoë Strachan, award-winning Scottish novelist and author of Negative Space and Ever Fallen in Love, as well as editor of Out There: An Anthology of Scottish LGBT Writing.

Saturday 1 August will be followed by a post-show conversation with Allan Radcliffe, author of The Old Haunts, shortlisted for both the McKitterick Prize and Scotland's National Book Awards First Book Award, and Blurred Faces, an Irish Independent Book of the Year 2025.

The evening also features a curated LGBTQ+ literature table in partnership with Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive, showcasing contemporary Scottish LGBTQ+ books and writers. The £19 Literature Ticket includes entry and a choice of one book from the curated table: Trumpet by Jackie Kay, Muckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen, The Old Haunts or Blurred Faces by Allan Radcliffe, Maggie & Me by Damian Barr, DWAMS by Shane Strachan, Before We Hit the Ground by Selali Fiamanya or Catch The Moments as They Fly by Zoe Strachan.

The companion book for the event is John of John by Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart, personally selected by Douglas as a literary companion to The Borrowed Room. The £27 ticket package includes event entry, a hardback copy with an official Douglas Stuart-signed bookplate and an exclusive bookmark. The book alone retails at £20.

Friday 31 July and Saturday 1 August, 7.30pm–9.00pm, at Woody's, 10 John Street, Glasgow, G1 1JQ.

Performance: Approximately 50 minutes
Post-show conversation: Approximately 40 minutes

Age guidance: 16+ Contains strong language and emotionally intense themes including homophobia, bullying, religious shame, emotional harm, and difficult family and community experiences.

Production image from the original Edinburgh presentation of The Borrowed Room. The Pride House performances feature a new cast.