Could the Lyceum Be Coming to Your Home? Imagine…
What if, instead of walking through the doors of a theatre, the theatre came to you?
As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh has announced one of its most intimate and imaginative projects to date: Lyceum at Home — a series of newly commissioned plays performed not on stage, but in living rooms, care homes, community spaces and unexpected corners of the city.
Yes, this is theatre reimagined — close, personal, and quite literally on your doorstep.
Theatre, Up Close and Personal
Lyceum at Home will see four brand-new monologues performed across all 17 wards of Edinburgh, taking live performance beyond the theatre walls and into the everyday spaces where life happens. From private homes to prisons, the project is about meeting people where they are — and sharing stories face to face.
Submissions are now open for Edinburgh residents who would like to host a performance, making this a rare opportunity to turn your home into a theatre for the night.
The plays explore the rhythms of city life: the paths we follow and abandon, the choices we make, and the shared experiences that quietly connect us all.
Four Writers. One City. Many Stories.
The writers behind this ambitious project are four celebrated voices, each deeply connected to Edinburgh:
Apphia Campbell — award-winning playwright, actor, producer and singer (Black is The Color of My Voice, Woke, BBC’s Urban Myths)
Alexander McCall Smith — bestselling author of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and 44 Scotland Street
Isla Cowan — award-winning playwright and former Lyceum Youth Theatre member
Stephen Greenhorn — acclaimed writer behind Sunshine on Leith, River City and Doctor Who
Each has written a monologue rooted in the city — its people, places and pulse.
Why Lyceum at Home Matters
For Apphia Campbell, the project strips theatre back to its essence:
“Theatre is storytelling. I love that this project lets people realise they don’t need to feel intimidated — they just need to hear a good story.”
Alexander McCall Smith describes the idea as “immensely appealing”, praising the Lyceum’s desire to involve the city directly in its creative life.
Isla Cowan, reflecting on the importance of live storytelling in a digital age, calls theatre “a necessary antidote” — something real, human and connective. For her, taking part feels like coming home.
And Stephen Greenhorn sums it up beautifully:
“It’s that sitting-around-a-fire intimacy of storytelling. That’s the essence of theatre.”
From Your Living Room to the Lyceum Stage
After touring homes and community spaces across Edinburgh, all four monologues will be brought together on stage at the Lyceum in a special quadruple-bill performance from 18–20 June, allowing wider audiences to experience these intimate works side by side.
Artistic Director James Brining describes Lyceum at Home as “an exchange of hospitality, friendship and the deep human drive to share stories.”
Could You Be a Host?
Imagine it: chairs pulled together, the lights dimmed, a hush in the room — and a live performance unfolding just a few feet away.
Lyceum at Home isn’t just about watching theatre. It’s about being part of it.
Submissions to host are now open via The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh website.
The only question is: could the Lyceum be coming to your home?