The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company and the National Theatre of Scotland will present an online discussion inspired by James Robertson’s acclaimed novel And The Land Lay Still streaming online from Wednesday 5 May at 7.30pm until Friday 7 May 2021. The evening will feature extracts from a reading of playwright Peter Arnott’s stage adaptation of the novel, which is currently in development, presented by the National Theatre of Scotland.

The evening of discussion and debate will include playwright Peter Arnott, campaigner and activist Amal Azzudin, Lyceum Artistic Director David Greig, National Theatre of Scotland Dramaturg Rosie Kellagher, acclaimed journalist and writer Joyce McMillan, and author James Robertson, with music from award-winning folk artist Mairi Campbell and extracts of Peter Arnott’s stage adaptation in development, from a recent reading commissioned by National Theatre of Scotland.

Winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year 2010, And The Land Lay Still is a panoramic exploration of late 20th Century Scotland through the eyes of James Robertson’s characters; natives, immigrants, journalists and politicians, dropouts and spooks making their way in a changing country.

Ten years on from publication the talk show will explore the themes of Robertson’s novel, the changes in Scotland’s future, and the role art and imagination plays in shaping our Nation’s story.