Glasgow Life community touring programme full of music, theatre and fun returns this autumn and winter
Glasgow Life's community touring programme will bring musical, theatrical and interactive shows and events to venues across Glasgow in its upcoming season!
Article Source: Glasgow Life
Last Updated: 26 August 2025 9:36
The line-up is packed with fun and mainly free performances which will light up community centres throughout the city over the coming months and help spread festive cheer in the run-up to Christmas.
Delivered by Glasgow Life, the charity which leads culture, events and active living in Glasgow, the programme opens with Martin O’Connor’s spoken word performance of Rebuilding a Nation (22-29 September 2025). It headlines a fun, free and thought-provoking double bill with Why d'ye talk lik' 'at? by The Village Storytelling Centre.
Rebuilding a Nation is a funny and personal look at language and cultural identity which is steeped in the playwright’s own Glasgow Scots. The tour follows O’Connor’s (top image) recent nomination for Best New Play from the prestigious Critic’s Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2025 for his production Through the Shortbread Tin.
Why d'ye talk lik' 'at? explores the ties between voice and class, and how the way we speak is shaped by where we are from.
Children and adults alike can look forward to two separate free family ceilidh tours as part of Glasgow’s annual Celtic Connections folk, roots and world music festival. The first of the family ceilidh tours takes place in November 2025, with the second to be held in January 2026. The ceilidhs feature live Scottish folk music from The Celine Donoghue Band, stories and Gaelic songs, as well as an opportunity to try out some dance steps.
Three musicians play an accordion, violin and guitar in a community setting
The Celine Donoghue Band will perform Scottish folk music during free family ceilidh tours as part of Glasgow's annual Celtic Connections folk, roots and world music festival.
Glasgow Life’s community touring pantomime will make a welcome return this festive season, with a run of performances of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
After co-presenting the hugely popular Pinocchio with Glasgow Life in 2024, Hopscotch Theatre Company returns to present the new co-production written by Isla Cowan. In this modern take on the classic story, Dorothy is taken on an unexpected detour while dreaming of stardom.
The fun-filled and low-priced Wonderful Wizard of Oz shows (£3/£1) will help to get audiences from Barlanark to Knightswood and Castlemilk to Whiteinch into the Christmas spirit from 26 November to 20 December 2025.
Glasgow Life’s community panto has been bringing Christmas cheer and high-quality theatre to the places where people live at prices they can afford since staging its first show in 2009. In previous years, the tour has put a unique spin on family favourites such as Aladdin, Cinderella, Dick Whittington, Sleeping Beauty and Mother Goose.
Finally, Glasgow Life is taking a series of special art sessions to nurseries across the city as part of the Glasgow 850 celebrations. The tour will culminate in Wee City Big City, an interactive exhibition created by young people and artist Rebecca Fraser, which will be showcased at The Forge Shopping Centre on Saturday 8 November from 10am to 4pm.
Katie Duffy, Head of Arts and Music at Glasgow Life, said: “Glasgow Life's community touring programme provides high-quality, accessible and affordable arts experiences to communities across the city by taking fantastic shows to venues on people’s doorsteps. The programme is designed to bring music, theatre and performance to new audiences, particularly those who face economic, social or geographic barriers, so more people can experience and enjoy the work of our city’s internationally renowned cultural sector up close and in person.”
All Glasgow Life community touring events will be listed on www.glasgowlife.org.uk as details are confirmed. You can also sign up to receive news and ticket updates by visiting the Arts and Music section of the Glasgow Life website.
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