AUNTIE EMPIRE

Auntie is a sweet old dear. All she wants is to regale us with tales of dear old Blighty, but her body is falling to bloody bits. Oh dear. Someone ought to clean that up.

Having conquered the screen in the short film co-directed by Niamh McKeown (BBC/Hulu’s DINOSAUR). The hotly anticipated and hilarious dark comedy, AUNTIE EMPIRE, premiered at Summerhall Arts in February 2026, as part of Manipulate Festival to sold out audiences and rave reviews.

Auntie Empire is an outrageous contemporary satire on Britannia and the grotesque absurdity of her imperial self-regard s currently booking touring in the UK and Internationally.

REVIEWS:

☆☆☆☆ ”a ferociously vivid female Bouffon figure for the 21st century”

The Scotsman | February 2026

☆☆☆☆☆ “grotesque humour does real analytical work”

North West End UK | February 2026

☆☆☆☆ “a brilliantly sustained, satirical tour de force”

Plays International | February 2026

☆☆☆☆☆ “an impressive cohesion of bonkers physical comedy, visual fancy, and whip-smart satire”

Bringe Fringe | February 2026

☆☆☆☆ “Taudevin’s performance is utterly spellbinding”

A Young(ish) Perspective | February 2026

☆☆☆☆☆ “Punk agitprop theatre at its delirious finest”

Mix Up Theatre | February 2026

☆☆☆☆ “messy, visceral, and unapologetically political”

Corr Blimey | February 2026

Creative Team: 

Lead Artist - Julia Taudevin

Bouffon Director - Tim Licata 

Dramaturgs - Sara Sharaawi and Kieran Hurley

Sound Designers - Niroshini Thambar and Nik Paget-Tomlinson

Lighting Designer - Emma Jones

Puppetry, Effects and Costume Designer - Fergus Dunnet

Costume & Puppetry Effects Maker - Gretchen Maynard-Hahn

Set Designer - Fraser Lappin

Photographer and Graphic Designer - Brian Hartley

Trailer Creator - Connor O’Toole

Production Manager - Rosie Ward

Producer - Wezi Mhura

Supported by Creative Scotland through the Open Fund and Summerhall Arts.

Content warning: Audience Participation. Contains sexually explicit content, scatalogical humour, references to and themes of colonialism and colonial oppression. Age restriction 16+.

Auntie Empire is supported by Creative Scotland and Summerhall Arts. It was originally developed through a Summerhall Lab, an IASH creative fellowship, a Traverse Theatre commission, and in association with Jordan & Skinner with direction from Caitlin Skinner and Melanie Jordan, and with Paisley Arts Centre and One Ren. The character can also be seen in the short film, Auntie Empire, directed by Niamh McKeown and Julia Taudevin.