The Burns Project: Bringing the Poet to Life
The National Trust for Scotland, NTSUSA, and Scottish performer James Clements are collaborating on a new piece of theater inspired by the life and work of Robert Burns. The Burns Project will premiere at the celebrated Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2025 and later will travel to venues in Scotland and the US.
Clements, who divides his time between Glasgow and New York City, has used the Trust’s recently digitized collection of Robert Burns manuscripts as the basis for an immersive solo performance exploring the poet’s brilliance and complexity. The work, helmed by Olivier and BAFTA award winning director Cora Bissett, uses Burns’ own words to celebrate his genius, flaws, and passion for Scotland. Accompanied by traditional and original music from acclaimed Edinburgh-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Lisa Rigby, Clements brings Burns – with all his charms and his flaws – to life on stage.
Edinburgh Premiere
The Burns Project will premiere in the Drawing Room of The Georgian House between August 2-16, 2025, as part of the famed Edinburgh Fringe. Staged in the round, as if the audience is attending a traditional Burns Supper, the interactive performance will breathe new life into Burns’ catalogue, connecting his work with contemporary themes of identity, equality, and cultural heritage. At the same time, the piece will delve into his personal writings and contradictions.
In Fall 2025, the piece will travel to National Trust for Scotland properties along the route of the Highland tour that Robert Burns undertook in 1787, as well as at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire.
In Spring 2026, NTSUSA will bring the production to the US, where it will be performed in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, and Chicago. We are excited to partner with the Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York and the White House Historical Association, among others, to stage The Burns Project in this country.
Activating History Through Performance
The National Trust for Scotland is well known for its collection of buildings, artifacts, and documents that together tell the story of Scotland’s national bard Robert Burns. Support from American donors via NTSUSA recently enabled the Trust to digitize 3,500 manuscripts, letters, and other personal items in its collection, placing them online where they are accessible to scholars and the general public alike. An earlier international fundraising campaign allowed the Trust to assist with the acquisition of the Blavatnik Honresfield Collection, including Burns’s First Commonplace Book, ensuring that the library remains permanently accessible to the public.
The poet’s legacy, and public fascination with Burns, show no sign of slowing. Earlier this spring, the Gregg Fiddle – owned by Burns’s dancing master, and likely played by the poet himself – was the star of Scotland’s Hoolie in the City at Carnegie Hall. Its voyage from the Trust’s Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway to New York City was covered by The New York Times.
It makes sense, then, to launch a dynamic new pilot initiative aimed at reaching new audience by commissioning a contemporary exploration of Scotland’s favorite son.
Michael Terwey, Director of Public Engagement and Research at the Trust, shared, “The Burns Project is an exciting pilot initiative for the Trust’s emerging arts program, which aims to activate historical properties through creative collaborations. Robert Burns is a great place to start with this program. He is such a well-known character, but Burns the man is still a mystery to many.”
A Burns for Today
As a maker of source-based documentary theater, Clements has created and performed international projects ranging from an exploration of the mental health of a modern Princess to the culpability of a fascist filmmaker.
Clements said of The Burns Project, “I believe it will be more than a play – it will create an experience that reimagines Burns’ legacy for modern audiences. We aim to invite diverse audiences to experience Scotland’s heritage in an interactive, meaningful way.”
Already, NTSUSA’s Emerging Leaders Committee has shown a tremendous commitment to the initiative, raising more than $6,000 to bring the piece to the US. Our hope is that The Burns Project will be the first of many dynamic contemporary commissions inspired by and animating National Trust for Scotland collections and properties, helping us to welcome new audiences and underscore the relevance of our collections to future generations.
The scope of The Burns Project’s US tour is dependent on funding. To learn how you can help, please email [email protected].