Art

The Edinburgh People's Theatre are bringing Art to the Scottish Storytelling Centre's Netherbow Theatre, with performances running from 3 to 6 November 2026. It's a short run, so if you want to catch it, you'll need to pick a night within that window.

The play is written by Yasmina Reza, with the English translation by Christopher Hampton. It follows three friends — Serge, Marc and Yvan — whose friendship starts to unravel over a white painting with white diagonal lines. What begins as a disagreement over a piece of art escalates until it threatens to tear the three of them apart. It's the kind of thing that starts as a polite argument and ends up being about everything else.

It's a well-travelled play. The British premiere was at Wyndham's Theatre in London back in 1996, and it went on to pick up Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Comedy, a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and a Tony Award for Best Play. Critics have described it as funny, sophisticated, stylish, stimulating and moving — a wise, witty and intelligent comedy that touches a universal nerve. If you've never seen it, that's a fair idea of what to expect: a sharp, funny look at how quickly a friendship can fray over something that seems trivial on the surface.

All the performances are at 7:30pm, and tickets are £15.25. The Netherbow Theatre is at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, EH1 1SR, right in the heart of the Old Town.