In 2023 National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Dear Billy undertook a 17 venue Scotland-wide tour, reaching over 8000 people. Originally announced to mark Billy Connolly’s 80th birthday year, the production was enthusiastically received by audiences, selling out at venues across Scotland, garnering a wealth of positive reviews and due to popular demand is now back on tour again in 2024.
There’s a guy. You know him. You know… big hair, wee beard, glasses, talks like that. You know? You know. The guy…The Big Yin.
Billy Connolly needs no introduction. He is a national treasure. From the shipyards of the Clydeside to his trailblazing and extraordinary stage and movie exploits, he is woven into Scottish culture.
Everyone has a Billy story. An expert team of story gatherers has created a collection of these moving and hilarious tales. Gary McNair, one of Scotland’s most renowned theatre-makers, has turned these stories into a special show celebrating the Big Yin and what he means to the people of Scotland.
The production arrives at the Assembly Rooms, Music Hall as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2024 following a tour to His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow and Eden Court in Inverness in May 2024.
Dear Billy is a unique touring production that evolved on the road. It travelled the length and breadth of Scotland in 2023, visiting local theatres, arts and community centres gathering stories along the way which were woven into the show as the tour progressed.
Gary McNair is hitting the road once more with two musicians. Audience members are welcomed to share their own Billy stories, with the possibility of those stories making it into the performance. Each show offers a unique chance for audiences to laugh, sing, and celebrate the man and the legend.
