DunsPlayFest

DunsPlayFest is an annual nine-day community festival which aims to bring the best in new writing for theatre to Berwickshire, while providing multifarious opportunities for local artists, non-professionals, emerging theatricals and established practitioners to showcase and develop their skills. Founded in 2019, DunsPlayFest has grown by 2025 to feature nearly 100 events across seven venues: hosting plays, poetry, music, dance, family events and a comprehensive workshop programme. It supports theatre makers by offering an accessible platform for new work: with the primary aim of nurturing new writing, we offer a stage for the freshly-written play, a safe place to experiment and explore new ideas and showcase theatrical work at all stages of development. We aim to make theatre accessible by offering free events: in 2025, over one third of our programme was offered free of charge, by keeping marketing simple and using accessible venues.
We hope to inspire innovation and healthier ways of being by becoming a platform for social and environmental change, exploring and advocating for mental health and wellbeing. Our project combats rural isolation and offers meaningful opportunities to gather, to connect, to be seen, heard and valued. We want to start conversations about current issues, to share new ideas while encouraging active participation in the arts, which is inherently therapeutic.
We offer a series of paid yearly training opportunities for young theatre-makers within our professionally-run festival, ensuring at least a third are from the Berwickshire area. We offer something for everyone - our intergenerational project is a place to share skills and build community.
Historical stories rooted in our community are central to our programme, deepening a sense of pride, place-making and belonging. Our venues include Duns Volunteer Hall, where audiences enjoy a friendly atmosphere with hot food and a licensed bar, and the grounds of Duns Castle where we host a free family day. Theatre-based activities also take place in the local park, and we collaborate with Duns schools, Borders Youth Theatre, Borders College, local theatre companies, dance schools, and nearby sheltered housing projects.
DunsPlayFest is a grassroots, community-led organisation with big dreams. We believe in the transformative power of live theatre to spread joy, spark imagination, and strengthen the social fabric of our region. We are not just a festival - we are a movement for connection, creativity, and change.