‘If a young woman made you smile, you wouldnae want to see her set on fire, would you?’
Katherine Hamilton is a nineteen-year-old woman facing arrest and trial in the King’s court, with only her quick wit as defence against execution.
James V: Katherine is a dramatic interpretation of key events during a turbulent time in Scotland’s history, events that changed the nation forever. It is also a play filled with hidden histories, deft comedy and a secret love story between two young women.
Rona Munro’s renowned James Plays are a breathtaking series of plays set during the reigns of Scotland’s generations of Stewart kings. Each play stands alone as a thrilling depiction of a moment in Scottish history, full of playful wit and boisterous theatricality; taken together, the cycle is a uniquely compelling narrative of a nation tussling with its past and future.
James V: Katherine was first staged at Capital Theatres’ The Studio, in April 2024, directed by Orla O’Loughlin, before embarking on a Scottish tour. It was a co-production between Raw Material and Capital Theatres, who previously produced James IV: Queen of the Fight.
Rona Munro is a writer who has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television. Earlier works in the James Plays cycle (I–III) have been performed at the National Theatre in London, across the UK and internationally, and have won Evening Standard and Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards.
