'Remembering and forgetting are the same bloody thing. He is not alive anymore. That's all there is to know.'

Joy Stone is reeling. Blindsided by the deaths of her mother and lover, nothing makes sense anymore, and everything begins to unravel. Joy takes us inside her mind as she fights to stay away from the edge with wit, grit and ever-present gallows humour that revels in the absurdity of it all.  

Adapted from Janice Galloway’s 1989 novel, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing is a brave and powerful work, now widely regarded as a Scottish contemporary classic.  

In this adaptation, three actors will embody the role of Joy, bringing her stream of consciousness to life as she scrambles to find the point of being alive.

First staged by Michael Boyd in 1995, this 2027 production will both honour and re-imagine that original production.

Based on the novel by Janice Galloway
Adapted for the stage by Michael Boyd
Directed by Caroline Hall 

A National Theatre of Scotland production