Events – Theatre
Table of Contents
Dune – The Musical!
As the world prepared for Part 2 of Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic vision of Frank Herbert’s masterpiece, solo performance artist Dan Collins has been wondering – what if we distilled Dune down to its component parts? What if we added some whimsical and comedic songs? What if the whole story could be told in one hour, by one man, with one guitar? Behold: Dune – The Musical! Fresh off the back of a critically acclaimed run at Edinburgh Festival in 2023, Dan’s show is the perfect way to experience this SF classic, and is the opening event of the convention! (SEC Hall 2 – Thursday
11 a.m.)
NOTHING, NOWHERE, NEVER AGAIN
Glasgow Worldcons are not without their traditions: each of the previous ones have had a show written and performed by Reductio Ad Absurdum. In 1995 it was their loving demolition of Dune (or The Sand Of Music); in 2005 it was Lucas Back In Anger, their smash-and-grab on all things Star Wars, which was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) despite enraging Star Wars fans by reducing the second trilogy to a 12 minute ABBA karaoke with cardboard costumes. In 2024 their offering is a unique take on the Oscar-winning sensation, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once that becomes Nothing, Nowhere, Never Again.
Reductio is basically Ian Sorensen and Phil Raines plus whoever else they can blackmail into performing. This year they have suckered Geoff Ryman, Emjay Ameringen and Julia Daly into joining them in the madness. It promises to be an amazing, hilarious romp through the alternate universes,
time travel and the joys of growing old disgracefully. The multiverse will never be quite the same again! (Armadillo Auditorium – Saturday 4 p.m.)
The Dark Room
John Robertson’s popular live-action video game, is a fast-paced, highly interactive show with improvisational comedy and retro gaming, where the audience experiences a multiplayer adventure run by John live in the hall. The show is hugely popular, has appeared at the UK Eastercon, PAX, Glastonbury Festival, and sells out annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A Rocky Horror for nerds… reader, I howled” Daily Telegraph
“NOT TO BE MISSED” Guardian
Tiptree: No-One Else’s Damn Secret But My Own
A woman sits quietly in her living room. She has just shot and killed her husband. Now, if you listen closely, she’s got a story to tell… Jenny Rowe’s stunning one-woman show is a deep dive into the life of celebrated SF novelist James Tiptree Jr, and explores themes of love, feminism, gender, depression and grief.
Quintessence
Originally created in collaboration with the London Science Museum, Quintessence is written and performed by award-winning actor Emily Carding. A combination of cataclysmic events results in the extinction of the human race, leaving behind an AI being programmed to recreate humanity when the time is right, with the complete works of Shakespeare as a guide to the human spirit. Humanity must thrive… but at what cost? This original sci-fi storytelling show was inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and will leave you wondering who the real monster is. (SEC Hall 2 – Sunday 2 p.m.)
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre have been performing comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, and at comedy clubs, theatres, nationally and internationally since 2007. They have also appeared at the British Eastercon. Their dozen (to date) best selling and award winning shows include Shakespeare, Superheroes, last year’s Eurovision Sock Contest, and their latest, Post Office Scandal The Musical.