The London premiere of the new folk musical Ballad Lines is set to play for 8 weeks next year.
Ballad Lines is running at Southwark Playhouse Elephant in London from 23 January to 21 March 2026.
The show is co-created by award-winning Scottish singer-songwriter Finn Anderson (Islander, Streets) and award-winning director Tania Azevedo (& Juliet, But I’m a Cheerleader).
Full casting for the London premiere is to be announced.
A 17-track concept album, recorded by a guest cast, will also be released on 12 September 2025. Get a first listen to some of the tracks from the show.
First-listen: ‘Change of Plan’ from Ballad Lines
Frances McNamee, Kirsty Findlay, and Parisa Shahmir perform ‘Change of Plan’ from new musical Ballad Lines.
Ballad Lines, which was previously titled A Mother’s Song, promises to be a heart-opening new musical that shines a light on identity, belonging and the stories we choose to carry with us.
The show follows three women bound together by blood, song, and choice. In 17th-century Scotland, Cait, a minister’s wife, wrestles with the constraints of her role. In 18th-century Ireland, Jean, a spirited teenager, steps into an uncertain future. In the present day, Sarah, a queer woman, finds herself torn between the life she’s built and the deep, unexpected pull of her ancestors’ voices.
The musical began in 2014, commissioned jointly by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Northwestern’s American Music Theatre Project. An earlier iteration of the musical received its world premiere in 2023 at Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling under its former title A Mother’s Song. Ballad Lines is written by Anderson and Azevedo with music and lyrics by Anderson.
Ballad Lines weaves together original new songs with centuries-old traditional Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian ballads performed by an all-female band, breathing new life into music that has echoed through generations, unearthing the deep ties between storytelling, heritage, and identity.
The Ballad Lines creative team also includes set design by TK Hay, music direction by Shonagh Murray, choreography by Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, lighting design by Simon Wilkinson, and sound design by Andy Johnson. Eliza Beth Stevens is the Assistant Director, James Anderton is the Production Manager, Kristie Winsen is the General Manager and Jane Deitch is the Casting Director.
Ballad Lines is lead produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Kate Taylor for KT Producing and co-produced with Wolk Transfer Company and TRW Production. An earlier version of Ballad Lines was produced at Macrobert Arts Centre in 2023 by KT Producing and Macrobert Arts Centre.
Finn Anderson said in a statement: “Our ambition with Ballad Lines was to combine the raw, timeless power of folk music with the sweeping emotional drama of the musicals we both love. By reimagining traditional ballads through the lens of a modern-day queer relationship and fusing them with contemporary styles, we hope this show helps reclaim folk music as a space for diverse, intersectional storytelling — a space where more of us can see ourselves reflected. Ballad Lines explores how songs travel — how they shift, evolve, and change hands over time. So it feels really exciting that London audiences can now become part of that story too.”
Tania Azevedo said: “Finn and I are thrilled to be bringing Ballad Lines to London after such a rich development journey. We wanted to make a piece that weaved together questions of ancestry, belonging, and the legacy carried in our bodies with urgent themes of female autonomy and personal freedom. At its heart, it’s an epic story of beauty, and transatlantic drama, one that asks how we honour those who came before us while carving out the lives we choose today. I believe audiences will see themselves reflected in this musical, and I can’t wait to share it on stage.”
Ballad Lines is playing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant in London from 23 January to 21 March 2026.
Book tickets to Ballad Lines at Southwark Playhouse Elephant in London
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