Last of iconic James plays to tour Scotland as playwright brands project 'odd and foolhardy decision'

Published 21st Oct 2026, 04:00 BST

She has written all six of the James plays, a saga covering the history of Scotland’s Stewart monarchs.

Now playwright Rona Munro has admitted it “could have been an odd and foolhardy decision” to begin the 12-year project, as she unveils a production of the final instalment to tour Scotland.

The production of James VI: First and Last, the final work in The James Plays series, will be directed by Rufus Norris, former artistic director of the National Theatre in London, in his Scottish directorial debut.

Set to tour five venues across Scotland for the final instalment, the series premiered as a trilogy in 2014. The National Theatre of Scotland produced the first four James plays by award-winning playwright Rona Munro - James I, James II, James III and James IV - between 2016 and 2022 - while Raw Material and Capital Theatres, which runs the Festival and King’s Theatres in Edinburgh, were behind James V: Katherine in 2024.

Ms Munro said: “James VI: First and Last marks the end of a journey I began over ten years ago. I never really questioned my decision to commit a large chunk of my working life to this sprawling saga. Now looking back, I realise it could have been a very odd and foolhardy decision, given the scale of the stories and the precarious state of theatre over those ten years.”

She added: “It’s that gap between what you want to do for very personal reasons and what it means in terms of how it affects your career and what it says and how you get categorised as a writer. I never pay much attention to that worldly bit, but then you reach a certain age and go ‘oh, that’s what I’ve been doing, fine. I’m happy about it.”

When beginning the project in 2014, Ms Munro admits she had grand plans for a full series. In addition to the six James plays and technically not part of the James play series, a related play by Ms Munro is Mary, which has still never been performed in Scotland, having had a short run in the Hampstead Theatre in London in 2022.

“In my vanity, I did plan it [all],” she said. “But with no expectation that this would ever happen.”

She said the focus of the plays had been to “tell stories people want to come and see”, but also “make some statement about Scotland”, but pointed out that her core audience will have changed in more than a decade.

Scottish theatre has seen a recent rise in interest in plays about national identity, such as National Theatre of Scotland’s Through the Shortbread Tin, which premiered last year and has recently embarked on another tour and hip hop musical Wallace.

“I think there’s a whole generation who knows about the James plays as a thing without knowing what they are,” Ms Munro said, adding that the young cast of James V, which premiered two years ago, had not seen the original trilogy and were “shocked” by the colloquial language.

“You could see they had their whole idea of what a history play is as something monumental and dusty and they were quite jolted by how contemporary it was,” she said. “So there will be this job to do again, to say to a whole new generation, ‘this is a play for you’. Even though it’s telling you about folk in the past, they’re folk in the past who are just like us.”

The story of the final instalment explores the king navigating shifting loyalties and religious turmoil to unite two crowns of Scotland and England. Ms Munro's script also platforms the vital women in James's life, explores the romance and tragic passion of his queer history and uncovers hidden narratives of identity and desire.

Ms Munro said she believed the James plays as a series had “reassured” producers over the financial success of plays about Scottish history.

“I think people are very interested in history and knowing where they come from as a nation,” she said.

She hopes that one day, Mary will also be premiered north of the border, saying there had been “near misses” in getting it produced in recent months.

She said: “I hope it will get a Scottish life as well. A lot of people have said they would like to see that one.”

Norris, who lives in Fife with his Scottish partner, Tonya Ronder, was an associate at the National Theatre when the first trilogy toured to London. He said the plays would consider James VI’s life as an abused child and flawed leader, which he said would be pertinent to the “paranoia” of current world leaders.

He said: “The James plays have redefined what a history play can be, I found them incredibly refreshing and informative. I have huge admiration for Rona.”

He added: “Rona’s ability to frame the historical events of many centuries ago in a way that makes them feel immediate, contemporary and utterly resonant is masterful, and to be a part of this seminal opus is a gift. It is particularly so, for me, on James VI. The play is rich on many levels, bringing a psychological and dramatic insight into this complex, flawed leader in a way that feels deeply pertinent to the age we are living through.

“But he’s a really complex character, you can’t paint a portrait of James VI and make him a pure victim or a nice guy, because there is too much evidence in the history books of the appalling injustices carried out under his reign and that has to be owned in a way.”

Margaret-Anne O’Donnell and Gill Garrity, executive producers at Raw Material, said: “Since 2014, the trilogy has reignited conversations about Scottish history on Scotland’s stages, bringing the past vividly to life through Rona’s inimitable writing: rich in humanity, wit and contemporary resonance.

“The scope and importance of the ambition has been breathtaking to witness.”

Fiona Gibson, chief executive of Capital Theatres, said the plays were a “landmark achievement” in Scottish theatre.

Supported by Creative Scotland Touring Fund and Chris Grace Harkness, James VI: First and Last opens at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on 24 September 2027 and then continues to tour Scotland, visiting King’s Theatre in Glasgow, Macroberts Arts Centre in Stirling, Eden Court in Inverness and Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre.