DYSTOPIA 26: THE ROCK OPERA – TOURING SCOTLAND

A two-act rock theatre uprising which takes a satirical view of the state of the world today and asks: what will make us truly happy is embarking on a Scottish tour: DYSTOPIA 26: THE ROCK OPERA.

Welcome to Dystopia. As loyal citizens, you are invited to attend a concert inside a maximum-security factory prison, where opponents of President Blame’s ‘Make Dystopia Great Again’ agenda are corrected accordingly.

Narrators Beldon Haigh, a disgraced spin doctor being punished by the system he helped to create, and incendiary rebel Helen Raiser guide the audience through the story of the rise and fall of Blame and the dawning of a new hope, ably assisted by the Beldon Haigh band – musicians Trump Chicken on bass, Polonium Putin on drums and Kim Jong Elvis on lead guitar, with interjections by the multi-instrumental President Blame himself.

Originally conceived as a seven-night experiment at Whistlebinkies for the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe by singer, songwriter and Falkirk resident Justin Skelton, Dystopia 26: The Rock Opera quickly grew into a distinctive and immersive rock theatre production, incorporating ominously lifelike masks, propagandistic animated projections and captions and relentless authoritarian imagery throughout. Featuring Skelton’s immediately hummable tunes and excellent musicianship from his fellow Falkirk-based Beldon Haigh band members, it lures you in with music, spectacle and humour, then lands its message with force.

Prior to making its London debut at the Leicester Square Theatre on 16 and 17 July and a return to this year’s Fringe at Bedlam Theatre from 7 to 31 August, Dystopia 26: The Rock Opera will undertake a short run of Scottish dates in April at Edinburgh Assembly Roxy (11), Glasgow Cottiers (21) and Dunoon Burgh Hall (24).

Carefully crafted to immerse the audience in a unique experience, both visually and sonically, and constantly evolving as the world view changes, Dystopia 26: The Rock Opera exposes the rot at the heart of modern politics, asking what really matters when every easy populist answer has failed. It is a show about happiness for those who believe music and laughter are acts of resistance; for those who feel the world has gone mad, yet still want to laugh, sing, shout and survive it together.