The major new folk musical is co-created by award-winning Scottish singer-songwriter Finn Anderson (Islander) and award-winning director Tania Azevedo.
Artwork for Ballad Lines. Provided by production.
The London premiere will take place at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January - 21 March 2026. Ballad Lines is a heart-opening new musical that shines a light on identity, belonging, and the stories we choose to carry with us.
The story follows three women who are bound together by blood, song, and choice. In 17th-century Scotland, Cait, a minister’s wife, wrestles with the constraints of her role. In 18th-century Ireland, Jean, a spirited teenager, steps into an uncertain future. In the present day, Sarah, a queer woman, finds herself torn between the life she’s built and the deep, unexpected pull of her ancestors' voices.
Ballad Lines brings together original new songs with centuries-old traditional Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian ballads performed by an all-female band, breathing new life into music that has echoed through generations, unearthing the deep ties between storytelling, heritage, and identity.
Commissioned jointly by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Northwestern’s American Music Theatre Project, the musical's journey began in 2014. There was an earlier iteration of the musical in 2023 at the Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling under its former title A Mother's Song.
Full casting for the London premiere will be announced in the coming months.
Ballad Lines will run for eight weeks at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January - 21 March 2026.
