Producers Sonia Friedman Productions, Jerry Goehring, and Pemberley Productions are pleased to announce that following its sold-out run in Scotland, the critically acclaimed musical A History of Paper, starring Tony, Emmy, BAFTA, and Olivier Award winner Alan Cumming, and Olivier and BAFTA Award winner Shirley Henderson in her highly anticipated NYC debut, will make its US premiere this winter.

A co-production from Scotland’s Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Dundee Rep Theatre, A History of Paper will begin performances on Friday, February 12, 2027, Off-Broadway at the Shubert Organization’s Stage 42. A History of Paper, which is directed by Dundee Rep Theatre’s award-winning Artistic Director Andrew Panton, will play a strictly limited engagement for 13 weeks only through Sunday, May 16, 2027. 

A History of Paper started life as an original BBC Radio 4 play in 2017, written by Oliver Emanuel. Oliver and composer Gareth Williams subsequently adapted it as a work-in-progress at Dundee Rep Theatre in 2019 as part of Rep Stripped, the theatre’s festival championing new Scottish work and giving artists space to develop and share bold ideas with live audiences. The production went on to make its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut at The Traverse Theatre in 2024, where it won the coveted Fringe First Award. Alan Cumming saw and fell in love with it and, with director Andrew Panton, arranged for it to be a part of his first season as Artistic Director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.  

The New York transfer marks a major international milestone for both Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Dundee Rep Theatre, with A History of Paper becoming the first production from either theatre to transfer Off-Broadway. It also reflects the growing international reach of theatre made in Scotland, following the success of No Love Songs, which originated at Dundee Rep Theatre before transferring to the US and Australia in 2025.

This funny and deeply moving two-character chamber musical charts a universal love story through the physical paper artifacts that define a relationship and a lifetime—from letters, menus and train tickets to shopping lists and postcards.

“I am so thrilled to bring A History of Paper from my home country of Scotland to my adopted home in New York City,” Alan Cumming commented. “This is one of those rare shows that transcends its own story and manages to touch an audience in a really visceral and beautiful way. And it utterly belongs in New York City. Since taking over as Artistic Director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, it has been my plan (and dream) to start a theatrical exchange channel between Manhattan and our theatre in the hills. This is the first show to do so, and I couldn’t be happier to be doing it alongside Shirley, who I first worked with over forty years ago!”

“When Alan whispered backstage to me that we might be taking our show A History of Paper to New York, my heart skipped a beat,” Henderson said. “In that moment, I felt excited, a little scared but happy to be holding hands with Alan as we take this beautiful piece of writing with sweet music on the next part of its journey. I never imagined it was possible to have the opportunity to step onto the New York stage. I am glad it’s with my lovely friend Alan Cumming.”

“Creating this show with Alan, Shirley and our amazing creative team has been a dream,” said Andrew Panton. “Some stories ask us to lean a little closer. A History of Paper is one of them – the story of one relationship quietly becoming about all of us:  the people who shape our lives, the memories we hold on to, and the ordinary moments we come to treasure most. The work I’ve seen in New York has long inspired me to make theatre, and to see work developed at Dundee Rep reach international audiences is a powerful reminder of why we invest in new work and the artists who create it. I couldn’t be more excited to bring our beautiful show to New York City audiences.”

Alan Cumming is a three-time Emmy Award-winning actor and host of NBC’s The Traitors, known for his Tony Award-winning performance in Cabaret, as well as film and television roles in The Good Wife, GoldenEye, and the Spy Kids trilogy. He became Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre in January 2025.

A History of Paper marks Shirley Henderson’s New York stage debut. Her extensive credits include an Olivier Award-winning performance in Girl from the North Country, as well as roles in the Harry Potter and Bridget Jones films, Trainspotting, and Topsy-Turvy.

The production features a script by the late playwright Oliver Emanuel, with music by composer Gareth Williams, and is directed by Andrew Panton, Artistic Director of Dundee Rep Theatre. Design includes Ana Inés Jabares-Pita (set and costumes), Bruno Poet (lighting), and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite (sound), with Gavin Whitworth as Musical Supervisor, Musical Director, and Pianist.

If you are interested in attending this show, please note that tickets will go on sale on November 17, 2026, HERE. Audiences are additionally invited to sign up for more information and can do so HERE. 

Image courtesy of A History of Paper