We are six fascinating characters, believe me. Even if we are rejects. Based on Luigi Pirandello’s classic avant-garde drama, Six Characters in Search of an Author examines the nature of truth and reality as six ‘characters’ arrive at a theatre where a director and acting company are rehearsing a play. Calling for the director and actors to help them tell their tale, the characters’ lives unravel as the tragic story they were created for is finally played out. Blending intense drama with a subtle philosophical questioning of the very notion of identity, human existence and what it means to be a sentient, living person, Six Characters was first staged in 1921 and still has the power to shock today. A large cast bring this provocative and surprising production to ‘life’. David Harrower’s adaptation was first staged at the Young Vic Theatre in 2000 to critical acclaim. This is now restaged in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland, and the Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, following on from last year’s successful co-production of Mary Stuart, and directed this year by Lyceum Artistic Director, Mark Thomson. Running Time: 2 hours (including a 20 minute interval). There is a 2.30pm matinee on Saturdays. (back to top)

You've got no money and you want to compete with those who have. Everybody is striving for what is not worth the having! Adapted from Thackeray’s sprawling novel satirising the ambitions and vanities of society in nineteenth century England, Vanity Fair follows two girls who leave Miss Pinkerton’s Academy for Young Ladies and embark on parallel journeys to make their way in the world. Becky Sharp is cunning and manipulative, while Amelia Smedley believes fidelity and honour are the tools for social climbing. As their lives and careers intermingle and they follow their soldier husbands into the Napoleonic Wars, Thackeray’s tale puts British morality under the microscope. Originally published in monthly installments between January 1847 and July 1848, the story is subtitled ‘a novel without a hero’, due to its unconventional portrayal of a society without scruples. Vanity Fair condenses the scandals, dramas, battles and society balls of Thackeray’s novel into two hours of drama, and is the first of two plays this season to be directed by Associate Artist, Tony Cownie (Mrs Warren’s Profession, Tartuffe). Duration approx. 2 hours. There is a 2.30pm matinee on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There are no performances on Sundays or Mondays. (back to top)

From his bum? You're going to put bits of his bum on his face...?! Oh Antonio... what a terrible situation... Mistaken identity and chaotic confusions abound when, after an industrial accident, the head of a large corporation is mistakenly surgically reconstructed as one of his employees, and finds himself chief suspect in a kidnap plot against himself! First performed in 1981, under its original Italian title, Clacson, Trombette e Pernacchi (Claxons, Trumpets and Raspberries) Dario Fo’s political satire on the perils of surgical procedures and the politics of pain is guaranteed to have you in stitches! So crack open the laughing gas and let the fun commence in this rib-tickling farcical comedy from a Nobel Prize winning writer. Fo’s political comedies have long struck a chord with audiences in Scotland, with recently acclaimed productions of Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!, Mistero Buffo and Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Tony Cownie directs his second Lyceum production of the season, and lends his renowned comic touch to our final show of the year. There is a 2.30pm matinee on Wednesdays (except May 7th) and Saturdays. There are no performances on Sundays or Mondays. (back to top)

A lively, lovingly presented wee show about making new friends and not judging people (or places) by appearances. Travel on the ferry to Struay to meet one of the best-loved characters in children’s books – Katie Morag McColl. She may live on a tiny weather-beaten island, but there’s plenty of mischief to get up to, and Katie Morag is always up to something! Two American kids arrive with their dad to find their Scottish roots, but Katie Morag can’t believe how spoiled they are – and the visitors can’t believe there aren’t shopping malls on Struay! But as they become caught up in a treasure trail, Katie Morag and the visitors soon learn that appearances can deceive... Meet Eriska the horse and the Struay cats, join in with the treasure trail, stumble across ancient ghosts in spooky places, and help Katie Morag find the answers to the riddles. Katie Morag comes to life in a musical show full of fun for all the family. Nominated for ‘Best Show for Children and Young People’ at the TMA Theatre Awards 2006. Suitable for ages four and up. There is a 2.30pm matinee on the Saturday. (back to top)

Germany 1941. Imprisoned for their imperfections, three inmates at an institute of eugenics pass around a simple story. As their fate closes in, the dark spiral of their story tightens to a noose. The First To Go combines the blackest of humour with the brightest belief in the power of hope. It charts the course of a society as it systematically disables its virtues, its compassion, its families, its humanity, its self. Writer and performer Nabil Shaban is most famous for his work as an actor in roles as diverse as Hamm in Endgame at Theatre Workshop and Sil in Dr Who. He was also one of the founders of Graeae Theatre Company. He is joined by a talented inclusive cast as benchtours, one of Scotland’s longest established touring companies, present this startling new look at one of the most brutal parts of Europe’s history. This project has been generously supported by the Scottish Arts Council and the European Commission. This performance is not recommended for those under 15. Contains scenes of nudity. (back to top)