Aria Entertainment & KT Producing have released rehearsal images for the London premiere of Ballad Lines, which opens at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January to 21 March 2026. Ballad Lines stars Frances McNamee, Rebecca Trehearn, Kirsty Findlay, Sydney Sainnté, Ally Kennard, Yna Tresvalles, Gracie Lai, and Siân Louise Dowdalls.
A forgotten melody pulls Sarah, a queer woman in New York, into the lives of the women who came before her: Cait, her 17th-century Scottish ancestor, and Jean, a spirited Irish teenager a century later. Across three centuries, they face the same defining question: what does it mean to become a mother and at what cost?
Blending Scottish, Irish and Appalachian ballads with a bold contemporary score, Ballad Lines weaves one family’s hopes, sacrifices and songs across generations.
Co-created by award-winning Scottish singer-songwriter Finn Anderson and award-winning director Tania Azevedo (But I’m a Cheerleader), Ballad Lines is a heart-opening new folk musical directed by Azevedo, about the stories we inherit and the choices each generation makes to break, reshape, or carry them forward.
The original score weaves together new songs with centuries-old traditional Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian ballads performed live by an all-female band, breathing new life into music that has echoed through generations. The band is made up of Sally Simpson on violin, Isis Dunthorne on drums, Shonagh Murray on keys, and Madeline Salter on guitar.
Leading the cast is Frances McNamee (Girl from the North Country) as Sarah; Rebecca Trehearn (Showboat for which she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress) as Betty; and Kirsty Findlay (Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, for which she was Olivier-nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role) who is reprising her role as Cait from an earlier iteration of the Scottish musical.
All three performers also appeared on the Ballad Lines concept album, released in September 2025. Completing the cast is: Sydney Sainté (The Great Privation, Or How to Flip Ten Cents into a Dollar) as Alix; Ally Kennard (The Creakers) as Jamie, Thomas, Ronan/Dance Captain; Yna Tresvalles (Six the Musical) as Jean; Gracie Lai (Jersey Boys) as Morna/Ancestor (covers Betty, Alix, Jamie, Thomas, Ronan, Shona); and Siân Louise Dowdalls (Diana: The Musical) as Shona/Ancestor (covers Sarah, Cait, Jean, Morna).
Under its former title, A Mother’s Song, the musical began in 2014, when it was commissioned jointly by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Northwestern’s American Music Theatre Project—an earlier iteration of the musical premiered in 2023 at Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling.
Ballad Lines is co-written by Finn Anderson and Tania Azevedo, with music and lyrics by Anderson. Completing the creative team are set designer TK Hay, music director Shonagh Murray, choreographer Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, costume designer Carly Brownbridge, costume supervisor Molly Fraser, lighting designer Simon Wilkinson, and sound designer Andy Johnson. Eliza Beth Stevens is the Assistant Director, James Anderton is the Production Manager, Kristie Winsen is the General Manager, and Jane Deitch is the Casting Director.
Ballad Lines is lead produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Kate Taylor for KT Producing and co-produced with Wolk Transfer Company and TRW Production. An earlier version of Ballad Lines (previously A Mother’s Song) was first produced at Macrobert Arts Centre in 2023 by KT Producing and Macrobert Arts Centre.
Ballad Lines opens at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January to 21 March 2026 – more information.
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