Circus Wolves, Space Stations and Sweaty Pirates Hit Aberdeen
New work and global theatre collide as Aberdeen Performing Arts rolls into festival season
Aberdeen Performing Arts’ summer calendar is packed with new work, global collaborations and a few surprises. The programme includes everything from new commissions to more familiar crowd-pleasers, but it’s the original productions and international guests that offer the most intrigue.
July’s programme leans into the bold, the absurd and the unclassifiable. It’s also a key month for International Season 2025, a growing strand that continues into August and brings touring companies from around the world to the North-East. The season supports more sustainable touring and helps forge new links between artists and Scottish audiences.
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Setting the tone early
Two earlier shows in the month help set the tone. Afro Indie Series 3.0 (5 July) brings Nigerian artist PsychoYP to the Lemon Tree alongside local talent. It celebrates independent African music and builds on previous editions of the event. The night seamlessly blends performance with cultural exchange in a relaxed yet charged atmosphere.
Later, on 16 July, Ben Ottewell of Gomez fame performs solo at the Lemon Tree, offering something more stripped back but no less emotionally charged. Known for his gravelly voice and reflective lyrics, Ottewell’s set is likely to appeal to anyone seeking a quieter yet resonant night out.
Zombies, sea beasts and a greedy captain feature in Pirates!, 19–20 July at His Majesty’s.
Tall Ships by land
You don’t need to be on the quayside to catch something nautical. The team at Scottish Dance Theatre are getting in on the Tall Ships action with Pirates! — a chaotic mix of dance, theatre and storytelling created by Joan Clevillé. Running 19–20 July at His Majesty’s Theatre, it’s pitched as a swashbuckling family adventure featuring zombies, sea creatures and a duel with the villainous Captain O’Greed. The show has been designed with younger audiences in mind, but the mix of original music, detailed sets and a full company cast suggests there’s plenty for adults to enjoy too.
Before that, Deep Wheel Orcadia (18–19 July) drops anchor at the Lemon Tree. Adapted from Harry Josephine Giles’ verse novel and written in Orkney dialect, it’s a love story told on a space station struggling to survive. There’s a live string quartet, haunting visuals and some genuinely original sci-fi theatre. If you’re after something a bit stranger than pirates, this is probably the one.
Aberdeen’s cultural calendar is packed, and POST’s What’s On page gives you a snapshot of it all. From gigs and theatre to exhibitions and creative meet-ups, there’s loads to discover, whatever your taste.
Bold performances, thoughtful shows, unusual venues, and events that bring people together. It’s all going on, and we’re here to help you find what’s next.
International arrivals
The International Season 2025 continues through the month, bringing a mix of circus, physical theatre and sharp humour from around the world.
Australian outfit Circa arrive 24–26 July with Wolf at His Majesty’s Theatre. It’s a taut, muscular piece of contemporary circus. Set to electronic beats and dressed in Libby McDonnell’s signature costuming, it’s a raw, physical performance that plays with the idea of the wild animal within. For those curious about the artistic edge of circus, this looks like a standout.
Also landing that weekend is Children Are Stinky (26–27 July) by Circus Trick Tease. It plays the Lemon Tree with high-energy acrobatics, big laughs and a title that tells you most of what you need to know. It’s already picked up awards in Melbourne and beyond, and brings a different kind of chaos to the summer holidays.
Pushing boundaries and planks
Rounding off the month on 30 July, Women in Socks and Sandals takes on gender performance with sly humour and sweat-soaked physicality. It’s a DON GNU show, which means stunts, plank-based choreography and a wink at the ridiculousness of it all. This time, three female performers take on a man-made world and attempt to reshape it, with all the bruises and punchlines that come with it. It’s at the Lemon Tree for one night only.
Other highlights don’t sit neatly in a category. Frisky’s Reshuffle (24–25 July) is a solo outing from one half of Frisky & Mannish. This one plays the Lemon Tree and promises genre-hopping music, audience interaction and more than a few raised eyebrows. No two nights will be the same.
With all of this layered into the same few weeks the Tall Ships take over the harbour, July in Aberdeen feels full to bursting. If you’re heading into the city anyway, you might want to check what’s going on inside the buildings too. Some of this month’s best journeys might start in a theatre seat.
