Our new production of Bold Girls by Rona Munro will open on 24 September. Rehearsals are currently taking place in our Dance Studio – take a peek!
It’s 1991 in West Belfast. Despite the bombs, the soldiers, and their husbands being either locked away or killed, Marie, Cassie, and Nora are determined to get on with their lives. That is, until a mysterious young woman turns up on Marie’s doorstep, disrupting their girls’ night out and bringing devastating revelations that threaten to leave their friendships changed forever. Sharply funny, moving, yet never shying from the harsh realities of life during the Troubles, Bold Girls is a celebration of women’s strength under siege.
The play is returning to Cumbernauld more than 30 years after its first performance at our previous home in the Cottage Theatre, where the acclaimed original production by the legendary 7:84 company opened in 1990. This new production is being directed by Michael Duke, and will star Pauline Goldsmith, Katya Searle, Julie Martis, and Leigh Lothian.
This play is a modern classic – so many people in Scotland have seen it, or read it in school. Plays don’t get that sort of status for no reason – it’s full of brilliantly written characters that audiences recognise, it has a great story, and so many memorable moments. It’s set against the darkest period of the conflict in Northern Ireland, among these women who are laughing and battling their way through desperate times, until they eventually have to face up to secrets that might break up even these life long friendships.
Michael Duke, Director
See rehearsal images below (Greg Macvean photography).
People came together at Lanternhouse on Sunday 10 May for the first of our Community Gatherings, a free day of food, film, music and creative activity celebrating global majority cultures. The event welcomed people of all ages to take part, try something new and spend time together.
19 May 2026
As part of Cumbernauld’s 70th anniversary celebrations, we’re looking to reconnect with women who were involved in the Loveable Bra Factory protest in Cumbernauld in 1982.
13 May 2026
Forbes Masson’s Aladdie will be a brilliantly bubbly, fantastically funny, bursting with banter Scottish panto with a spin!
A co-production from Raw Material and Cumbernauld Theatre, directed by Gordon Dougall, at Cumbernauld Theatre from Thursday 26 November to Thursday 24 December 2026.
6 Mar 2026
