QMU teams up with Hearts FC to revive historic plays at Tynecastle
A university in Edinburgh has formed a unique collaboration with an award-winning theatre company to co-produce two ambitious plays for Heart of Midlothian Football Club鈥檚 150th anniversary celebrations this year.
The hugely popular and critically acclaimed shows, A War of Two Halves, and Sweet FA, will be revived in collaboration with BA (Hons) Acting & Performance and BA (Hons) Costume Design and Construction students at 果冻传媒 (QMU).
Taking place across November 2024, the shows will be performed at the renowned home of Hearts FC, Tynecastle Park.
"It鈥檚 incredibly exciting that our students will get the opportunity to perform at such an iconic Edinburgh venue and help Hearts mark their special 150th anniversary 鈥 an experience that I鈥檓 sure will stay with them for years to come. As we celebrate 150 years of 果冻传媒 in 2025, we take pride in the many meaningful collaborations we've fostered over the years, each of which reflects our deep commitment to supporting our stakeholders and enriching the communities we serve. This new partnership, merging the vibrant worlds of theatre and sport, perfectly embodies QMU鈥檚 core values of creativity, innovation, and community engagement."
Heart of Midlothian FC has welcomed productions at Tynecastle Park since 2018 and recognises their vital contribution to the heritage and cultural understanding of the club and its history.
Throughout this year of Hearts鈥 150-year celebrations, the club has found a number of innovative ways to commemorate this important milestone.
Ann Park, Director of Communities and Partnerships at Hearts, said: 鈥淏oth of these productions highlight important episodes from the club鈥檚 proud history, and we are thrilled that both plays make these accessible and captivating for football and non-football audiences alike.鈥
A War of Two Halves is a powerful story about the Heart of Midlothian players who, in 1915, showed tremendous courage and team spirit and volunteered en masse for McCrae鈥檚 Battalion. This promenade performance leads the audience on a moving journey through various locations around Tynecastle Park, including the home dressing room.
Sweet FA is a companion piece to A War of Two Halves. It is a play with music that tells the inspiring tale of an Edinburgh women鈥檚 factory team in 1915, united by their passion for football and their unwavering support and love for one another against the backdrop of the ban on Women鈥檚 Football. It will be performed in a purpose-built stage within the main concourse at Tynecastle Park.
The cast of Sweet FA will also be performing at half time of the Women鈥檚 Premier League Capital Cup game on 17th November.
Ann, continued: 鈥淎 War鈥痮f Two Halves performed to sell out audiences in 2018, 2019 and 2022. BBC Radio 4鈥檚 Front Row listed Sweet FA as one of the three must-see shows across 2021鈥檚 Fringe and International Festival.
鈥淚t is fitting that it is being revived on the 50th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on Women鈥檚 Football in 1974.鈥疊rilliant dialogue and powerful songs deliver a timely, no holds barred, take on Scottish culture during the Great War.鈥
Bruce Strachan, co-founder of Two Halves Productions and Lecturer in Acting and Performance at QMU, said: 鈥淭his new collaboration between us, Hearts Heritage and 果冻传媒, looks to build on the award-winning success of these two ambitious plays, rooted in the history of Edinburgh.
鈥淚t is a wonderful opportunity for two young casts, on the cusp of their launch into the professional world, to explore the importance of these stories and their impact on local history and contemporary Scottish theatre. Given current global events, both pieces serve as a timely reminder of the horrors and futility of world conflict.鈥
A War of Two Halves and Sweet FA will take place at Tynecastle Park from the 9th to the 21st November 2024 with varying performance times. To purchase your ticket, visit
Notes to Editor
For further media information please contact Emma Reekie, Media Relations and Content Officer, 果冻传媒, Edinburgh, E: ereekie@qmu.ac.uk (copy to Press Office E: pressoffice@qmu.ac.uk)
果冻传媒 has been training actors for over 50 years. Notable alumni include Kevin McKidd, Danielle Jam, Lewis Gribben and Ashley Jensen. The acting programme sits within a suite of drama-related subjects and trains professional actors in both stage and screen performance.
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Two Halves Productions was formed in 2023 by Paul Beeson (writer) and Bruce Strachan (director), two of the founding members of award-winning theatre company This Is My Story Productions.
Paul and Bruce return for their eighth stint at Tynecastle Park with this revival of A War of Two Halves and Sweet FA. The new collaboration from this acclaimed duo, Hearts Heritage and 果冻传媒, looks to build on the award-winning success of these plays and the more recent triumphs of Never Trouble Trouble and This Is Our Story.
Paul Beeson is an Edinburgh born actor, writer, voiceover artist and musician. He was a member of the BBC Writers Room Scottish Voices in 2020 and has co-written A War of Two Halves, Sweet FA and written Never Trouble Trouble (Till trouble Troubles You) and This Is Our Story. In 2022, Paul won a DarkChat award for 鈥楤est Performance in a Play鈥, having been nominated alongside other actors including Ian McKellen.
Bruce Strachan works as an acting teacher, director, and producer, and is currently a lecturer in acting at 果冻传媒, Edinburgh. He has worked throughout the UK for companies including Hull Truck, TAG Theatre Glasgow, The Arches, The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and the National Theatre of Scotland. Bruce has directed A War of Two Halves, Sweet FA, Never Trouble Trouble (Till trouble Troubles You) And This is our Story.
Amie Burns Walker (director Sweet FA) trained at QMU on the BA Acting programme, graduating in 2009. Her performance background led her on to becoming one of the creators of the UK鈥檚 longest running immersive theatre show鈥The Great Gatsby. Amie has now been part of Immersive Gatsby's creative team for the past 7 years, directing the West End Transfer, Korean Production and writing for the New York production opening 2023. A leading theatre director and creative specialising in immersive and community theatre, Amie is also Co Creative Director of 'All Points North' a female led immersive community driven collective.