Edinburgh’s Georgian House stages specially commissioned enlightenment drama

The Enlightenment Georgian House
The Enlightenment Georgian House

A specially commissioned play – Enlightenment House – by the award-winning playwright and director Ben Harrison has opened at the National Trust for Scotland’s Georgian House in Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square and will offer audiences a fascinating insight into the wit and ambition of the Scottish Enlightenment period.

Billed as ‘A Play in Five Rooms’, the production will take audiences through the magnificently restored house which is protected and cared for by the conservation charity. Visitors will encounter, among others, Adam Smith, David Hume, Robert Adam (the architect of the house), author Susan Ferrier, and below stairs staff.

“The Scottish Enlightenment was a truly extraordinary flowering of ideas and intellect,” said Ben Harrison, “with Voltaire proclaiming that “today it is from Scotland that we get rules of taste in all the arts”. This richness of thought, complemented by the elegance of style and place, will provide the foundation for Enlightenment House, but our approach is to be accessible and at times light-hearted, with audiences interacting with some of the great figures of the period.

“So, for example, we sit with Hume and Smith as they dine, listen to Susan Ferrier’s sharp views on marriage and female consciousness, witness a dance lesson in the drawing room, and partake of some hot chocolate – the newly fashionable drink of choice – in the kitchen.

“There are noble and substantial ideals being brought forward in this period and part of the focus of the play will be to set these alongside the complexities of our own time.”

The play will be ‘immersive’ and will run until 5 January, with five shows a day. The setting – the Robert Adam-designed Georgian House – is the perfect backdrop for the production, with its beautifully proportioned rooms and its fine late 18th/early 19th-century furniture, porcelain, silver and glass – a true statement of luxury in this era of enlightenment.

National Trust for Scotland General Manager Stuart Maxwell said: “This is a really exciting experiment for the National Trust for Scotland. By using the Georgian House in this way, we are trying out a totally new experience for our visitors – one which we think is unique in Scotland. Set in the heart of Edinburgh’s city centre, we hope that this creative venture, with top theatrical talent, will attract new audiences to the Georgian House and supporters for our charity’s work to protect our heritage which we do for the love of Scotland.”

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