Brian Cox to make Scottish stage return in new show at Edinburgh Festival
Brian Cox is set to return to the stage in Scotland as part of a new play telling the story of Royal Bank of Scotland’s role in the 2008 financial…
It’s the first major artwork to tell the story of RBS’s role the financial crisis of 17 years ago and will be the opening performance of the 2025 Edinburgh Festival.
It will kick-off on Friday, August 1 and run until Saturday, August 9 with previews at the festival on Wednesday July 30 and Thursday July 31, as well as at Dundee Rep Theatre in late July.
The satirical play will be directed by Andrew Panton, the artistic director of Dundee Rep Theatre and is a co-production between National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and Dundee Rep Theatre.
The show is set in Edinburgh and sees Cox take on the role of Adam Smith, the ghost of fiscal past.
It delves into the unchecked growth, spiralling greed and nail-biting hubris that brought the world’s economy to its knees and features a mixture of characters and incidents inspired by real-life events, with others completely imagined.
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The show is something James Graham is delighted to be bringing to life and he said: "Like many writers, an Edinburgh stage is the first place ever I dared put a full play in front of an audience. To be invited to join the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival programme this summer is an honour and a thrill.
“And to work with the National Theatre of Scotland, the Dundee Rep, and of course - Brian Cox, whom I’ve been desperate to write for for as long as I can remember.
“We still live in the long shadow of the 2008 financial crash and our inability to reset from that inheritance and its divisive legacies, so it feels right to be interrogating it artistically. But we hope to do so in a show full of music and story, larger-than-life characters, cheeky humour, and some ghosts from Scotland's centuries' long past thrown in as well."
Andrew Panton, director, said: “It’s a personal honour and huge responsibility to tell what became a global story that started in the city close to where I grew up. Working with an exceptionally talented cast, creative and production teams, I’m excited to be directing this new play, bringing it to audiences at Dundee Rep Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival stages.”
Brian Cox added: “I'm excited to be doing a play written by James Graham who is such a great writer. It's been a long time since I played in Scotland - it's good to be back.”
Jackie Wylie, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland said: “I am thrilled that audiences will get to experience the combined talents of James Graham and Brian Cox, taking on the collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland in this epic new play, directed by the gifted Andrew Panton, produced in partnership with the brilliant institutions, Dundee Rep and Edinburgh International Festival.
“Dealing with seismic global moments that have shaped our national psyche, at the world’s most significant arts Festival is the perfect project for the National Theatre of Scotland and we are truly proud of this special collaboration”
Nicola Benedetti, Edinburgh International Festival Director, said: “We are extremely proud to present a brand-new play by James Graham, ‘Make It Happen’, which will open the 2025 International Festival in August.
“This co-commission with the National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bringing vital Scottish stories to the world stage, and invites us to examine events that took place in Edinburgh but rippled across the globe.”