As we mark our twentieth anniversary, participants from across academia, the arts, cultural organisations, and public life are invited to take part in NTS at Twenty: Culture, Democracy, and the Stateless Nation — for a day of conversations on 23 October exploring the role of theatre, literature, and cultural institutions in shaping civic imagination and democratic life in contemporary Scotland. 

Bringing together researchers, theatre-makers, writers, cultural practitioners, policymakers, activists, and community organisations, this event at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival will explore how culture and storytelling contribute to public life at a time when democratic values come under pressure worldwide. 

The programme will include roundtable discussions, a knowledge-exchange workshop with Scottish Policy and Research Exchange (SPRE), and a public conversation reflecting on the enduring influence of literature and theatre on Scotland's civic life. 

The event is organised by Dr Paula Sledzinska, a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh. Paula’s research examines the relationship between theatre, national storytelling and democratic life, with a particular focus on the National Theatre of Scotland, having written her doctoral work on NTS’s repertoire.

Organised in collaboration with the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (BA ECRN), Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), University of Edinburgh, Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies (RIISS), University of Aberdeen, LLSETI Research Laboratory at Université Savoie Mont Blanc (Chambéry, France) and Robert Gordon University. 

Funded by the British Academy ECRN Development Fund, LLSETI Research Laboratory and Robert Gordon University. 

Those interested in speaking at the event should get in touch by emailing: p.sledzinska@rgu.ac.uk or lauren.brancaz-mccartan@univ-smb.fr by 1 September 2026. 

You may also submit an Expression of Interest form on the event page if you would like to contribute to the conversation, and please do share this opportunity with colleagues, networks, and organisations who may wish to be involved.