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Whaur’s yer Willie Shakespeare noo?
When
Thursday 11 September 2025
18:00 - 19:00
Format
In-person
Cost
Free to book
About
How language shapes perspective, from the big stage to everyday blethers
How does Scots language come alive on stage – and what does it say about us?
Join acclaimed playwright Ian Brown and renowned linguist Jeremy Smith as they explore the Scots and English language varieties woven into The Scotch Play – Brown’s bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Performed at Perth Theatre in 1990, The Scotch Play is set not in medieval Scotland, but in a modern-day football club near Edinburgh. Here, Duncan, manager of Auchenwhinnie Star, is ousted by Harry, his ambitious trainer, encouraged by his ruthless wife. Written in Scots blank verse, its five scenes mirror the five-act structure of Shakespeare’s original tragedy
Through live readings of selected scenes, a mix of funny, sharp, and bitter-sweet, Brown and Smith will explore how language shapes characters and storytelling. Join us for this lively discussion on the use of modern Scots in theatre, led by a leading language scholar and professional playwright.
Tickets are free, but booking is essential.
Event type
Curious
Contributors
Professor Jeremy Smith FRSE
Professor Emeritus & Senior Research Fellow, Glasgow University; Honorary Professor, St Andrews UniversityJeremy Smith is a specialist in English historical linguistics, the history of Scots, and book history. He served the University of Glasgow for over forty years, retiring in 2021, and continues to be active in research and public engagement. His recent publications include Transforming Early English (2020), Genre in English Medical Writing 1500–1820 (co-edited with Irma Taavitsainen et al., 2022) and Reinventing Medieval Liturgy in Victorian England (with David Jasper, 2023). He is currently working on a corpus-based history of English religious vocabulary.
Jeremy has held prominent roles in numerous scholarly and public bodies. He has served as President of the International Society for the Linguistics of English, Convener of the Board of Scottish Language Dictionaries (now Dictionaries of the Scots Language), and has been a council member of the Scottish Text Society and the Philological Society.
He has served the RSE in many several capacities, most recently as Young Persons’ Programme Convener and as co-convener of the Public Engagement Committee. As part of the RSE’s Schools Programme, Jeremy gives talks at schools, covering topics such as Scots and English in Scotland.
Professor Ian Brown FRSE, FRHistS
Professor Emeritus, Kingston, University, London; Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Glasgow UniversityIan Brown is a playwright, poet, and leading researcher in Scottish literature, theatre, and culture. He has held professorial roles at Queen Margaret and Kingston Universities, and honorary fellowships or professorships at Yale, Glamorgan, and the University of Glasgow.
His plays have been performed across Britain and internationally, with notable productions by the Royal Lyceum, Traverse, Byre, and Perth Theatres, and his latest play has been commissioned and accepted by Glasgow Citizens Theatre. He has authored around a hundred scholarly articles and chapters, and written, edited, co-edited, or series-edited over forty books, including Performing Scottishness (2020), which explores key aspects of Scotland’s literature, language, and culture.
He currently serves as Vice-Convener of the Saltire Society and Publications Convener of the Association for Scottish Literature.
Contact us
If you have an event enquiry, please email us on public_engagement@theRSE.org.uk.
What is Curious?
Curious is the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) free festival that celebrates the research, ideas and knowledge shaping society today.
Each year, Curious brings a packed programme of free in-person and online events covering themes from the arts, humanities, policy, science and more. To date, we’ve welcomed over 10,000 attendees for talks, workshops, exhibitions and discussions where you can learn from and speak with Scotland’s leading thinkers. As part of the RSE’s mission to make knowledge useful and accessible for everyone, Curious is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the world around them. No specialist knowledge is needed, just bring your curiosity.
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