- Show: Ballad Lines playing 8 weeks.
- Dates: 23 January to 21 March 2026.
- Venue: Southwark Playhouse Elephant.
- Duration: Full run totals eight weeks.
- Location: London theatre district area.
Award- winning Scottish songster- tunesmith Finn Anderson( Islander) and director Tania Azevedo(& Juliet) co-created the musical, which stars Frances McNamee, Rebecca Trehearn, and Kirsty Findlay.
Ballad Lines examines identity, belonging, and the ancestral tales that unite generations by fusing original music with classic Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian ditties.
Olivier Award- winning Rebecca Trehearn( getting Nancy, City of Angels) portrays Betty; Kirsty Findlay( Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Beautiful The Carole King Musical) plays Cait from a former Scottish interpretation; and Frances McNamee( Girl from the North Country) plays Sarah, a queer woman in New York drawn back to her folk roots. The conception reader for the program, which was published in September, includes all three.
Sydney Sainté (The Great Privation, Or How to Flip Ten Cents into a Dollar) as Alix, Ally Kennard (The Creakers) as Jamie, Thomas, Ronan/Dance Captain, Yna Tresvalles (Six the Musical) as Jean, Gracie Lai (Jersey Boys) as Morna/Ancestor (covers Betty, Alix, Jamie, Thomas, Ronan, Shona), and Siân Louise Dowdalls (Diana: The Musical) as Shona/Ancestor (covers Sarah, Cait, Jean, Shona).
Ballad Lines, originally titled A Mother’s Song, made its stage debut at Scotland’s Macrobert Arts Centre in 2023. Set designer TK Hay, musical director Shonagh Murray, choreographer Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, costume designer Carly Brownbridge, lighting designer Simon Wilkinson, and sound designer Andy Johnson comprise the London creative team.
In addition to being co-produced by Wolk Transfer Company and TRW Production, Ballad Lines is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Kate Taylor for KT Producing. In 2023, KT Producing and Macrobert Arts Centre staged a previous version of Ballad Lines.
Ballad Lines will perform at London’s Southwark Playhouse Elephant from January 23 to March 21, 2026.
What’s the creative team’s background or any notable previous works?
Finn Anderson is a Scottish musician, lyrist, and pen known for award- nominated adaptations like Islander( Off West End designee, Best New Musical at Musical Theatre Review), City of Dreams, A Mother’s Song, Come Hell or High Water, and thoroughfares( Off West End designee).
Director Tania Azevedo brings moxie from products like The Great British Singe Off Musical( stint), Six the Musical( transnational), and new workshop at Southwark Playhouse, with a focus on innovative staging and availability.
The team includes developer David Shields( Islander, Citizens Theatre) and musical administrator Ben Glasstone( Heathers, West End), blending folk traditions with contemporary queer narratives.
