Emergence Festival 2026
The Killing Steel
Fri 23 January — Tue 27 January 2026
Wheelchair accessible
Man in Armour by Rembrandt
Please note: Performances scheduled to take place on Saturday 24 January have been moved to Tuesday 27 January.
Ticket Holder Info:
Printed tickets for Saturday will still be valid for the performances on Tuesday and e-tickets will be automatically re-issued. If you have not received a new e-ticket please contact RCS Box Office.
If you cannot attend on Tuesday please contact RCS box office for a full refund: boxoffice@rcs.ac.uk or call 0141 332 5057.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
:::
You forget. I hold the killing steel.
I don’t forget. But if it’s pressure we’re exerting, I’ll remind you that I can rob you of your beauty with a flick of my wrist. I can mar you in the eyes of history. You’ll live forever but my hand will decide how. Which one of us holds the killing steel?”
Over the span of sixteen years, an ambitious young woman paints Alexander the Great as he rises from prince to king to conqueror. Through losses and triumphs, both prodigies fight to reconcile their perception of themselves with the portraits reflected back at them.
Credits
Blaire Sharman (Playwright/Producer/Painter)
Francesca McBride (Director)
Archie Barrington (Alexander the Great)
Matthew Page (Dramaturg)
Content disclosures
Brief mention of violent death; grief.
Emergence Festival 2026
Emergence is a festival of new work from the graduating artists of the MFA Acting/Directing Classical and Contemporary Text programme.
Emergence 2026 will include a range of provocative live performances and gripping short films presented across four days in January, returning to Glasgow’s iconic Centre for Contemporary Arts and surrounding venues.
These creative projects are the result of what can happen when artists are given a small budget and autonomy to respond to the provocation: what is the future of theatre and film?
Event Collection
Part of Emergence Festival 2026