Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Transmission
Nelly Kelly and Sanctuary Queer Arts
Genre: LGBTQ+, Political, Theatre
Venue: Summerhall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Freedom Party leader and founder of the Scots Mission, Big Jimmy, is here to tell you how to keep yur grannies safe and Make Scotland Cis Again! Hilarious, curious and deeply human, Transmission is a darkly comedic, tender-hearted performance by playwright and drag artist Nelly Kelly, exploring Scotland’s shift from world-leading on LGBT+ rights, to fertile ground for the anti-trans movement. Blending DIY-cabaret with political theatre, male impersonation and a heap of mischief, Transmission examines how public perception of trans people is shaped – not by trans voices – but by ‘single issue’ campaigners, political-footballing and media distortion.
Review
A chalkboard with the words “Scots Mission” and a large saltire meet glittery curtain streamers and a disco ball on the set of this new play about trans rights in a turbulent and polarising Scottish political environment. We meet politician James Donaldson (Jimmy to his friends), played and created by performer and drag-artist Nelly Kelly, with co-creators K Biff Nicholson and Susan Worsfold. There are town hall-like speeches and political videos- did you know Jimmy really loves the park in Yoker where he grew up, he doesn’t at all think it’s a ‘frightful shitehole’ as soon as he’s off camera. Obnoxious and knowing anti-trans campaigning from Jimmy is given relief when thoughtful, reflective voice-overs from Kelly the artist pop up. This piece weaves hilarious, outrageous set pieces and quietly crushing real clips with views about trans people and their rights in society from interviews with Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, John Swinney and others. There are also teacakes. And breaks. And additional thoughts on the trans-debate regarding Scotland’s national animal the unicorn.
Jimmy is on a mission to educate the public of the danger of trans ideas, and his friends are… us, the audience. He tells us we are his “very silent following” and fans, ready to rally for him, head down to Holyrood for him. BSL interpreter Elliot Webster-Mockett signs alongside Kelly throughout, fully incorporated into the play (at one point he is given a wig to wear). Early on, Jimmy says Elliot has given him a sign name of his own and Webster-Mockett grins widely while we laugh at the gesture Jimmy makes. From drag story hour- playing out Jimmy’s fantastical fear of what trans inclusion means for teaching kids- to bawdy body jokes, this drag act is very funny.
At one point the voiceover suggests we may need a break from Jimmy now, exactly when we do- the work knows exactly how far to take the act. Transmission models collective care in the performance in a way that feels exciting for theatre. Tunnocks teacakes are passed around the audience as Kelly’s voiceover instructs us to stim, move, and do what we need to be comfortable while they have a rest- their voice continuing the play. There is also captioning and level access. Kelly’s thoughts are considered and gently raw, a necessary counterweight to Jimmy’s groan-inducing bravado and careless harm In these sections, Kelly explores their own relationship to performing drag, their identity growing up trans in Scotland, independence, and the political actors and actions that took the country from world-leading in trans rights to a place that fostered vocal anti-trans organisation in a few short years. Kelly says they were preparing a drag act impersonating Nicola Sturgeon before her unexpected resignation in 2023, and drag became less fun, the landscape shifted and the performance never happened.
There is great clarity of theme and movement between scenes in effective costuming choices and a lovely mirror device accompanied by ANOHNI and the Johnsons. Mock political videos, audio devices and integration of rest for the performers during a live show are built cleverly and thoughtfully into the body of the work to enhance themes of political satire, performance, who gets to speak and be seen, and how. It is impressive to quote that “nobody has rights until we all have rights” near the top of the show and demonstrate continually, how to follow through whilst giving us theatre, laughs, outrage, and excess. It also brings us back to a deeply political type of theatre that can feel hard to find in an age of relentlessly terrible politics, it artfully breaks new ground for live performance in Scotland in 2026.
Transmission holds its nerve in keeping politics firmly at the centre- it is uncommon in the current climate to see a play look so squarely at it. It does not talk around the issues, we hear politicians give their opinions and statements and we sigh, groan, grow silent. Kelly speaks directly about Sturgeon. They speak to the audience simply and just themselves, giving a perspective that un-complicates an issue that has become so upsettingly, stubbornly charged. It showcases trans voices and resilience and reminds us of basic facts (trans people are 1% of the population, Jimmy undercuts himself when he jokes that we may have heard it takes two-hundred and six years to transition on NHS waiting lists) with humour and sure-footedness.
Trans activist Alok Vaid-Menon is played to us, speaking about creating and maintaining beauty and what becomes possible when we move away from the binary. From this repellent and ludicrous character of Jimmy- so hopelessly, harmfully, trapped in the binary- and a steady build-up of outrageous-ness firmly in the drag tradition comes something very beautiful. It’s a work that will leave you with hope and clarity, and help cultivate your understanding of the same. By turns hilarious, provocative, weighty, and touching- it will take you to the extremes whilst also taking care of you.
