Leith will host the world premiere of theatre company Grid Iron’s production of Mayflies – an adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s 2020 novel.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe favourites are celebrating their 30th anniversary, and will stage the first showing at Brown’s of Leith, with tickets on sale now.
Mayflies is a tale of 80s youth and the act of facing mortality in mile age. Set in two parts, it contrasts a 1986 trip to Manchester by a group of Scottish friends with their reunion 30 years later.
Grid Iron say the former metal works in Leith “echoes the iconic venues of Manchester’s music scene, providing an ideal setting for this love letter to friendship, and a pledge: go at life differently”.
Producer, chief executive and co-artistic director of Grid Iron, Jude Doherty, said: “Grid Iron has had a blessed 30 years.
“Believe me, it hasn’t always been plain sailing, but we have had incredible opportunities and have always been surrounded by wonderful talented people, with wonderful intrepid friends.
“And it is because of those auspicious connections, that we have found ourselves in the position of adapting Andrew’s extremely special book for the stage.
“Our long time colleague, and close pal David Paul Jones, introduced Ben Harrison and I to his friend Andrew O’Hagan after Ben revealed a burning desire to adapt Mayflies.
“So, here we find ourselves, working on a beautiful piece concerning all that is important about being human – friendship, love, dignity, freedom of choice – all the things we hope that our work has explored and championed over the years.
“There could not be a more fitting production to mark our 30th year.
“As a company we are also so proud to be based in Leith, and, while we were very sad to see George Brown & Son move out, we had secretly been coveting their building for years.
“So it was with delight that we struck up our relationship with Custom Lane and Brown’s of Leith to use their rear warehouse, a space hugely reminiscent of the iconic Manchester buildings so vividly portrayed in Mayflies.
“We hope we do the novel justice and make our audiences, all the remarkable people we’re working with on this show, and all who we have worked with in the past, proud.
“Thank you to everyone who has travelled with us over the past 30 years. We may not have 30 more in us, but we’re definitely not done yet.”
Presented as part of this year’s Made in Scotland showcase at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Mayflies is staged at Brown’s of Leith – a unique collaborative space for food, drink and creative practice, which opened in November 2025.
Representing a major step in the regeneration of the area, Brown’s of Leith sits within the historic George Brown & Sons Engineering Works on The Shore, overlooking the Water of Leith.
The building was home for 130 years to George Brown & Sons, engineers and metalworkers who relocated the family business to East Lothian in 2024. The existing space retains its period industrial character across three generous floors.
Management of the building has been taken on by the design hub Custom Lane, under the creative direction of Gunnar Groves-Raines.
He said: “Welcoming Grid Iron to Brown’s is a very exciting moment for us, bringing site-specific theatre into the heart of this evolving regeneration project.
“Throughout August, the production team and audience will coexist with designers, makers, artists, chefs and baristas, creating a lively occupation of a building which, until recently, was filled with the sounds of machinery and tools.
“The team at Grid Iron exemplify the vibrant creativity of Leith, which we are committed to supporting across our spaces, and we are honoured to host them for this unique production.”
Full cast details are to be announced in due course.
