Eden Court Highlands, Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres have announced the successful applicants to their Wee Ones Winter Commissions, three new Scottish productions to be presented from this festive season.
Three of Scotland’s largest cultural organisations have once again joined forces to offer a unique, multi-year commission to create and produce three small-scale festive productions for early-years audiences, each to be presented in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh from 2025 to 2027. A panel representing all three organisations has awarded commissions to the following productions:
- Frozen Charlotte present BANANAS FOR CHRISTMAS which will open at Eden Court Highlands in Inverness this Christmas
- Curious Seed present A LAND BEYOND WINTER which will open at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen this Christmas
- Scottish Theatre Producers present SNOWY which will open at the Studio Theatre in Edinburgh this Christmas
The latest round of commissions brings together an exciting mix of acclaimed theatre-makers and artists from across Scotland.
Jordan Blackwood and Ross MacKay reunite with Scottish Theatre Producers’ Sarah Gray to bring Snowy to life, following their CATS-nominated production of Treasure Island, and joined for the first time by composer and sound designer Bethany Tennick.
Award-winning children’s theatre company Frozen Charlotte, supported by Riff Raff Producing CIC, assembles a creative team for Bananas for Christmas that includes director Heather Fulton, dramaturg Brenda Murphy, designer Katy Wilson, composer Greg Sinclair, creative access artist Kirstin Abrahams and performer Lewie Watson.
Meanwhile, award-winning dance theatre company Curious Seed, led by Scottish choreographer Christine Devaney, continues to push the boundaries of dance theatre with their enchanting new seasonal adventure A Land Beyond Winter - brought to life by a stellar creative team featuring designer Karen Tennent, composer Luke Sutherland and dance artist Sky Su.
FULL DETAILS
Frozen Charlotte presents
BANANAS FOR CHRISTMAS
Eden Court Highlands, Inverness (December 2025)
Life is mellow (and yellow) for our banana-loving beach-dwellers until one of them goes a bit Bananas for Christmas - because what is Christmas if you don’t have it all? This riotously silly show might see them tangled in tinsel but we guarantee it will be banana-splittingly funny and full of Christmas spirit.
Frozen Charlotte said: “We have put the decorations up already! We’re dizzy with delight to be creating a new Christmas show in partnership with these three amazing venues and we cannot wait to share Bananas for Christmas with their family audiences.”
Curious Seed presents
A LAND BEYOND WINTER
The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen (December 2025)
A curious winter adventure; two friends who live in a place called WINTER wait patiently for First Snow. A mysterious delay compels them on a journey beyond the edges of their world. Through unknown lands, they face new challenges, encounter surprising creatures, and discover the power of wishing, friendship and home.
Christine Devaney, Artistic Director, Curious Seed said: “We are thrilled to be invited to create this exciting new dance theatre show. Collaborating with the venue partners over the next three years through this innovative commissioning model, we look forward to inviting children and families across Scotland to join us on a heartwarming, seasonal adventure.”
Scottish Theatre Producers presents
SNOWY
The Studio, Edinburgh (December 2025)
Meet Snowy - a curious little pup with a heart full of adventure. Join her on a heartwarming winter journey to the city inside a snow globe. When a mishap throws the city’s festive celebrations into chaos, Snowy must put things right in a story filled with fun, friendship and a whole lot of snow!
Sarah Gray, Scottish Theatre Producers, said: “We are totally thrilled to be working with Capital Theatres, Aberdeen Performing Arts and Eden Court to bring our tale of Snowy to children and families across Scotland. To get the chance to tell our story for the next three years is a real privilege. We know summer has only just begun, but we all can't wait for winter now!”
All three productions are commissioned by Eden Court Highlands, Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres.
Rebecca Holt, Chief Executive, Eden Court Highlands, said: “Eden Court is delighted to once again be partnering with our friends at Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres to produce three new productions for children and their families.
"The quality, ambition and creativity on display in the 58 submissions we received made deciding on the final three a difficult task. We are excited to open Bananas for Christmas here in December 2025, which looks set to be a joyful production to inspire the next generation of theatregoers.
"Investment in these three productions is a demonstration of Eden Court’s commitment to investing in artists and audiences, and we are only able to do so due to receiving increased support in Creative Scotland’s recent multi-year funding round, for which we once again express our sincere thanks to Creative Scotland and Scottish Government.”
Sharon Burgess, Chief Executive, Aberdeen Performing Arts, said: “We are thrilled to be teaming up once again with Eden Court and Capital Theatres to bring these wonderful, brand new productions to our stages, which are sure to bring so much joy and festive magic to children and their families across Scotland over the next three years.
"The quality and standard of submissions across the board was incredibly high. We are delighted to be able to support Scottish theatre-making in this way, and we cannot wait to work with the exceptional team at Curious Seed to create A Land Beyond Winter in Aberdeen this festive season.”
Fiona Gibson, Chief Executive, Capital Theatres, said: “Watching the children’s faces light up with joy and wonder as they experience the magic of theatre is what our mission is all about. Supporting high-quality Scottish work for young audiences is central to our vision, creating and sharing the extraordinary with everyone, and we can guarantee that these wonderful three pieces will do just that!
"We’re thrilled to be collaborating once again with our friends Aberdeen Performing Arts and Eden Court on this exciting project. Following the success of our first commissions launched in 2021, one of which won a CATS Award, we are delighted to have been supported by Creative Scotland to make this happen again for our young audiences over the next three years.
"We can’t wait to welcome the adorable Snowy to our Studio Theatre in Edinburgh this winter and to share the other two wonderful shows with you over the next two years.”