About Us
Since our beginnings in 1995 we have specialised in site-specific and location theatre although we have also produced work for the stage. The company has received 31 awards and many more nominations covering all aspects of our work, from acting, writing, design and use of music to stage management and technical expertise.
Some of the more challenging and unusual locations we have performed in include a boat-builders’ island in Norway, the land-side and air-side passenger areas of Edinburgh International Airport, the Informatics Building of the University of Edinburgh, a former jute mill in Dundee and a massive oil-rig manufacturing shed in Dundee, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, the former General Security building in Beirut, a working cancer hospital in Jordan, the old city morgue in Cork, Debenhams department store in Edinburgh, ten metres underwater in Belfast’s Lagan Weir, a haunted underground street in Edinburgh, The London Dungeon, parks, gardens, playgrounds and fields all over Britain and Ireland, our local pub, The Barony Bar, on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street, the EICA (Europe’s largest indoor climbing arena) and a huge oil-rig manufacturing shed in Port of Dundee.
We have also performed on stages the length and breadth of Scotland from Inverness to Melrose including the King’s & Traverse theatres in Edinburgh, Eden Court, Carnegie Hall Dunfermline, Adam Smith, Kirkcaldy and many more.
We have co-produced with the Traverse Theatre, Dundee Rep Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, The Almeida Theatre, London, Lung Ha Theatre Company, Stellar Quines, Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Burns and a That Festival.
Internationally, we have had two European Capital of Culture commissions, for Cork 2005 and Stavanger 2008, delivered an extensive programme of work for the British Council in the Middle East, appeared three times as part of Edinburgh International Festival, many times at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performed as part of Imaginate, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Science Festival and during Cork’s Fringe (now Midsummer) Festival and the Belfast Festival at Queens.
Grid Iron is an Edinburgh based new writing theatre company
Since our beginnings in 1995 we have specialised in site-specific and location theatre although we have also produced work for the stage. The company has received 31 awards and many more nominations covering all aspects of our work, from acting, writing, design and use of music to stage management and technical expertise.
Some of the more challenging and unusual locations we have performed in include a boat-builders’ island in Norway, the land-side and air-side passenger areas of Edinburgh International Airport, the Informatics Building of the University of Edinburgh, a former jute mill in Dundee and a massive oil-rig manufacturing shed in Dundee, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, the former General Security building in Beirut, a working cancer hospital in Jordan, the old city morgue in Cork, Debenhams department store in Edinburgh, ten metres underwater in Belfast’s Lagan Weir, a haunted underground street in Edinburgh, The London Dungeon, parks, gardens, playgrounds and fields all over Britain and Ireland, our local pub, The Barony Bar, on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street, the EICA (Europe’s largest indoor climbing arena) and a huge oil-rig manufacturing shed in Port of Dundee.
We have also performed on stages the length and breadth of Scotland from Inverness to Melrose including the King’s & Traverse theatres in Edinburgh, Eden Court, Carnegie Hall Dunfermline, Adam Smith, Kirkcaldy and many more.
We have co-produced with the Traverse Theatre, Dundee Rep Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, The Almeida Theatre, London, Lung Ha Theatre Company, Stellar Quines, Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Burns and a That Festival.
Internationally, we have had two European Capital of Culture commissions, for Cork 2005 and Stavanger 2008, delivered an extensive programme of work for the British Council in the Middle East, appeared twice as part of Edinburgh International Festival, many times at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performed as part of Imaginate, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Science Festival and during Cork’s Fringe (now Midsummer) Festival and the Belfast Festival at Queens.
The Team (Fermentation, 2002)
The Team (Barflies, 2009)
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Judith Doherty
Judith is Producer, Chief Executive and Co-Artistic Director of Grid Iron. She founded the company in 1995.
From 2000 to 2020 Judith was a member of the Board of Directors of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and, from 2004 to 2010, the Board of the Independent Theatre Council.
She was a member of the management team of the Scottish Drama Training Network.
She also served as a Specialist Advisor to the Scottish Arts Council.
Jude was one of the first recipients of the TIF New Producers Bursary and in 2003 she was given the Daily Mail Spirit of the Fringe Award for her contributions to the Edinburgh festival.
Previous freelance work includes Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Festival, BBC Scotland and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Judith has an MA (Hons) in History of Art and English Literature from Edinburgh University.
Ben Harrison
Ben is the Co-Artistic Director of Grid Iron. He joined the company in 1996 and has directed, co-directed or redirected 29 of the company’s 35 productions.
From 2004-2007 he was a Director of the Dutch theatre company Muztheater. Recent work includes Peter Pan for 360 Entertainment, Biding Time (Remix) for Tromolo Productions and the Tailor of Inverness for Dogstar. For Grid Iron include ‘Letters Home, The Authorised Kate Bane, What Remains, Spring Awakening, Huxley’s Lab, Tryst, Yarn, Once Upon A Dragon; Roam (Grid Iron/NTS/BAA Edinburgh International Airport; The Story of the Death of Najib Brax (Grid Iron/ British Council in Beirut); The Devil’s Larder; Naw Nader Men Al Houb (Grid Iron/British Council in Amman);
Those Eyes, That Mouth; Variety; Fermentation; Decky Does A Bronco; Monumental; Gargantua; The Bloody Chamber and Clearance.
In 2001 he was made a Fellow of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), which supported his research, travel and development work for three years. From 2000-2002 he was an Associate Director of the Almeida Theatre in London, where he created the acclaimed Participatory Projects programme.
Further information at www.benharrison.info
Photographs on this site are by various photographers including:
Mihaela Bodlovic, Eoin Carey, Janeanne Gilchrist, Keith Brame, Richard Campbell, Douglas Jones, Douglas McBride, Tommy Ga-Ken Wan and Tim Morozzo.
Patrons
Owen Dudley Edwards
Emma Quinn
Board
Neil Weir – Chairman
Chris Hunn – Company Secretary
Rob Conner
Deborah Crewe
Graeme Davies
Judith Doherty
Ben Harrison
The Team (Huxley’s Lab, 2010)
The Team (Once Upon a Dragon, 2007)