New Folk Musical “Ballad Lines” to Premiere at Southwark Playhouse in 2026

New Folk Musical “Ballad Lines” to Premiere at Southwark Playhouse in 2026

30-10-25

A major new folk musical is tuning up for London. Ballad Lines, co-created by award-winning Scottish composer Finn Anderson and director Tania Azevedo, will make its London premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January to 21 March 2026, with opening night on 29 January.

Presented by Aria Entertainment and KT Producing, Ballad Lines promises a heartfelt fusion of traditional storytelling and contemporary musical theatre, exploring identity, belonging and the songs that carry us through generations.

Leading the cast are Frances McNamee (Girl from the North Country), Olivier Award winner Rebecca Trehearn (Show Boat), and Olivier nominee Kirsty Findlay (Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour). All three appeared on the Ballad Lines concept album released in September 2025. They are joined by Sydney Sainté (The Great Privation), Ally Kennard (The Creakers), Yna Tresvalles (Six The Musical), Gracie Lai (Jersey Boys), and Siân Louise Dowdalls (Diana: The Musical). Together, they form an all-female onstage band performing live throughout the show.

Ballad Lines spans three centuries and continents. It follows Sarah, a queer woman living in New York City who believes she has left her childhood and its folk traditions behind. When old songs resurface, so do the voices of her ancestors, pulling her on a transformative journey. In 17th-century Scotland, Cait, a minister’s wife, grapples with duty and constraint. In 18th-century Ireland, Jean, a spirited teenager, faces an uncertain path. Across these timelines, love, legacy and music intertwine as Ballad Lines explores how our stories echo through time.

The score weaves original songs with traditional Scottish, Irish and Appalachian ballads, blending folk traditions with modern musical theatre language. The creative team describes the show as a story about inheritance, of music, identity and the women who keep both alive.

Under its earlier title A Mother’s Song, the piece began life in 2014, commissioned by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Northwestern University’s American Music Theatre Project. It premiered in 2023 at the Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling, where it was hailed as one of The Stage’s Top 50 shows of the year.

This London premiere brings together a powerhouse creative team led by Tania Azevedo, with TK Hay as set designer, Shonagh Murray as music director, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda as choreographer, Carly Brownbridge as costume designer, Simon Wilkinson on lighting design and Andy Johnson on sound design. Jane Deitch serves as casting director.

Ballad Lines is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Kate Taylor for KT Producing, alongside Wolk Transfer Company and TRW Production. Both Lipson and Taylor are known champions of new musicals, with Aria’s credits including The Last Five Years, Zorro and Flowers for Mrs Harris. Lipson calls the piece “a work of rare beauty, intimate, political and deeply human,” while Azevedo describes it as “a celebration of how women have kept culture alive through song.”

Ballad Lines runs at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January to 21 March 2026 (press night 29 January). Get tickets from the official site HERE