The Traverse Theatre was founded with the hope of carrying the spirit of Edinburgh’s Festivals throughout the year– and in 2020 we have been inspired by our past to create a new future as we announce the launch of Traverse 3, our new online venue, and the extension of its Traverse Festival programme throughout the rest of the year.

Our website has been transformed into Traverse 3 - joining our physical performance spaces Traverse 1 and 2 - to present a continually refreshed programme of cutting-edge productions, immersive stories and political discussions, which can be experienced and contributed to by audiences everywhere.

Brand new pieces have been commissioned for Traverse 3, which will be presented alongside stage productions reimagined to be enjoyed as films, podcasts, audio plays or performed recordings. Open access scripts, conversations and provocations, relayed live from the Traverse’s physical spaces in Edinburgh and across the country, will enable audiences to create their own work, unleashing their creativity and becoming creative contributors wherever they may be.

The online space of Traverse 3 will remain live and active as a permanent part of the Traverse’s cultural offering. It will be a centre of creative excellence, presenting bold, provocative and innovative work that puts audiences at its heart, throughout 2020 and beyond.

The first productions available as part of the Traverse Festival are:

Declan directed by Lorn Macdonald with original text from Mouthpiece by Kieran Hurley
Shielders by Matilda Ibini, Directed by Debbie Hannan
Breakfast Plays: New Tracks
Contemporary Political Ethics (or, How to Cheat) by Jamie Cowan, Directed by Gareth Nicholls
Rabbit Catcher by Rebecca Martin, Directed by Gareth Nicholls
Matterhorn by Amy Rhianne Milton, Directed by Debbie Hannan
The Watercooler by Uma Nada-Rajah, Directed by Debbie Hannan
Doomsdays by Conor O'Loughlin, Directed by Debbie Hannan
Removed by Fionnuala Kennedy, Directed by Emma Jordan
Shedinburgh produced by Francesca Moody, starring various acts

And our participatory programme includes:

Happenings produced by the Traverse
Positive Stories for Negative Times produced by Wonder Fools in association with the Traverse Theatre
Open Submissions Workshops produced by the Traverse
Traverse Young Writers produced by the Traverse, led by Hannah Lavery

Dates and Accessibility

Most productions can be experienced from 10am on Monday 24 August, with varying end dates.

All video events will be fully captioned and transcripts will be made available for all audio-only works. All events can be paused, rewound and rewatched as audiences choose, meaning each production offers a more relaxed viewing or listening option for those who would prefer.

Executive Producer, Linda Crooks, says:

“Unlocking the virtual doors of Traverse 3, and stepping into all the possibilities it presents, marks an important shift in how we respond to both our ‘now’ and our future. It is a huge opportunity for us to remove many access barriers and make our work the most democratic and inclusive it has ever been, both in terms of who we work with and who experiences what we create. We have always welcomed the world to our venue, in August especially, and in recent years have been able to share our work in selected international locations – but now we can bring the Traverse, and all of the incredible creativity with which we work, to the world.

We are delighted and grateful to be working with so many partner companies and members of the freelance community in creating the programme, including many who are making their Traverse Theatre debuts. I would like to use this opportunity to thank them and everyone who has been involved for embracing huge change to realise something that seemed impossible only a few months ago.

We also wish to also thank our incredibly loyal audiences who have been so supportive throughout the last few months, as well as our regular funders – we hope that they, and many more, enjoy the fantastic programme of digital Festival activity we have planned.”

Coming soon

New events and performances will become available in Traverse 3 from now until 2021, including the first online iteration of Class Act, the Traverse’s flagship education project which has been completely overhauled for 2020.

Information on new events will be made available in coming weeks and months.

How to watch Traverse Festival events

All currently available events can be found here.

Almost all events are free to access with audiences encouraged to make a voluntary donation to the support the Traverse Theatre and its work.

All the events listed above can be browsed now and most will be available to experience from 10am on Monday 24 August, with varying end dates for watching.

The Traverse Theatre is funded by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council, with additional support from The Scottish Government Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund.

Image: Mihaela Bodlovic