Theatre in Schools Scotland (TiSS), National Theatre of Scotland and Imaginate’s schools touring project, was delighted to welcome Ian Murray, MP for Edinburgh South, to our final school performance of 2025, at James Gillespie’s Primary School in Edinburgh.

TiSS was at James Gillepsie’s Primary School with three performances of A Home for Hamish, by Just Us, presented by Scottish Theatre Producers. Created and performed by Deaf Dance Artist, Clare Adam and Autistic Dance Artist, Lesley Howard (Just Us), A Home for Hamish is a colourful, immersive, interactive adventure playfully merging dance and British Sign Language and is made for younger audiences.  

Across a two-day visit to James Gillespie’s Primary School over 170 pupils from Nursery through to P3 enjoyed the performances in the school hall. Following the final performance Ian Murray, MP was joined by performers Clare Adam and Lesley Howard, representatives from National Theatre of Scotland, Imaginate and Scottish Theatre Producers along with pupils from the school to fly paper aeroplanes in the school hall.

Ian Murray, MP for Edinburgh South said: “It was delightful to see the young people completely captivated by, and participating in, the performance. The performers were utterly superb. The impact of the school's programme was encapsulated in the questions from their audience at the end. The interest in British Sign Language, the challenge of the story, and the “can we play more with you” were all testament to the power of the show. Well done to all involved.”

Ben Horsburgh, Head Teacher, James Gillespie’s Primary School said: “We were delighted to welcome Theatre in Schools Scotland to James Gillespie’s Primary School. A Home for Hamish was a truly memorable experience for our younger learners. It brought theatre right into the heart of the school and gave the children a chance to engage with themes of belonging and community in a fun, imaginative way. Opportunities like this enrich our curriculum and inspire our young people to see themselves as part of Scotland’s vibrant cultural story.”

Belinda McElhinney, Chief Executive, Imaginate said: “It was lovely to watch the children fully absorbed into the world of Hamish. The performers beautifully integrated British Sign Language into the work and kept the children focused on their every move. The excited response from the children encapsulates for me the importance of bringing performance into schools as a key step to ensuring every child accesses their right to culture.”

Liam Sinclair, Executive Director and Joint CEO, National Theatre of Scotland said: “It was a delightful experience watching the inspiring A Home for Hamish at James Gillespie’s Primary School, Edinburgh and being part of such an engaged and enthused audience. We appreciated Ian Murray MP attending and sharing this occasion with us. TiSS is a vital project for National Theatre of Scotland, enabling children across Scotland to benefit from the joy and enrichment that live performance can bring, and we are looking forward to celebrating the Theatre in Schools Scotland 10th year anniversary in 2026.”

The performances at James Gillespie’s Primary School concluded a busy autumn term for the Theatre in Schools Scotland project which tours inspiring, live theatre and dance performances to primary schools across Scotland. A Home for Hamish toured to schools from Shetland to Slamannan, and will be back on the road with TiSS in March 2026.

Further info on TiSS here theatreinschoolsscotland.co.uk