'Tribute' to 200-year-old Royal Botanic Garden plant to tour Scotland after sell-out Festival Fringe run

Windblown, which was inspired by a 200-year-old Sabal palm brought from Bermuda to Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden (RGBE) in the 1800s, is to tour next year, including dates in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The performance, which was created by Karine Polwart and Pippa Murphy during an artist-in-residency at RBGE, was a sell-out during its Fringe run at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh.

The plant had to be removed during a major refurbishment of the Victorian tropical glasshouses at the gardens in 2021.

Ms Polwart said at the launch of Windblown that while in residency at the gardens at the time, she had been “struck by the sadness of the horticultural team” when the palm had had to be removed. She said both herself and Ms Murphy held a “living wake” for the plant on the eve of its felling.

Combining social history, scientific curiosity and memoir and accompanied live by pianist Dave Milligan, Ms Polwart’s work gives voice to the palm itself, tracing the plant’s extraordinary life and final days; exploring themes of colonial legacy, ecological care, grief and resilience.

She is writer and director of Windblown, as well as the performer, while Ms Murphy is the co-composer.

Scotsman theatre critic Joyce McMillan gave the show a rare five-star review in August.

Ms McMillan said: “There’s a touch of pure magic in the way singer, songwriter and theatre-maker Karine Polwart approaches the multiple crises that face us in this 21st century.

“Gentle, accepting and full of wonder at the glory that still remains on our home planet, Polwart is also a wise and witty observer of the human folly that has destroyed so much, and of the tragedy of that loss.”

Windblown is produced by Raw Material and was part of the Made in Scotland showcase at the Fringe, funded by the Scottish Government’s Expo fund.

Gillian Garrity, founder of Raw Material, previously said she believed the work would “sit beautifully as a full-scale production” outside of the Fringe.

Windblown will be performed at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre from April 26 to 28 next year and Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre on May 8 and 9. Other Scottish dates will be announced in due course.

James Brining, artistic director at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, said: “We are delighted to have Windblown coming to us on its Scottish tour, during our already bumper summer season 2026. We look forward to welcoming Karine Polwart and the Raw Material team to The Lyceum Edinburgh.

“The huge acclaim for this homegrown piece at the Edinburgh Festivals shows the power of a simple truth - that our natural world inspires so much, and live art can help us to uncover the complexity of our feelings on some of the biggest questions humanity faces.”

Tickets are on sale now for the Edinburgh and Glasgow performances.