A new year of entertainment from The Brunton
Brunton Theatre Trust welcomes in a new year at venues in Haddington and Musselburgh. The Trust provides high quality arts and entertainment with music, comedy, theatre, children’s shows, talks and cinema - all in the programme for the coming months.
East Lothian’s celebrated children’s theatre company Catherine Wheels, bring Lightning Ridge to Haddington on Saturday 7 February at 2pm. 12-year-old Ashmol lives in the Australian Outback, with his parents and little sister Kellyanne. When Pobby and Dingan disappear, Ashmol is happy that the imaginary friends are out of this life, but Kellyanne becomes sicker and sicker. Finally, Ashmol decides that he must find Pobby and Dingan. This is a beautiful piece of storytelling recommended for ages 8 plus.
Lightning Ridge
The Brunton is collaborating with Haddstock, Haddington based music festival, to present a fantastic concert with Bombskare and support from Fright Years on Saturday 21 February at the Corn Exchange. Bombskare deliver an energy-packed, infectious blend of classic Jamaican ska beats, punk, rock and humour. Edinburgh’s Fright Years craft emotionally charged, guitar-driven indie rock. With sold out shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow and a slot at TRSMT 2025, they are one of the UK’s most exciting new acts.
Trad music fans are in for a treat when Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle play the Corn Exchange on Friday 20 February. These celebrated folk musicians bring their own blend of top-class folk songs, tunes and charming bonhomie.
Then Blazin’ Fiddles, one of the most lauded and best-loved acts of the Scottish music scene, play Haddington on Thursday 5 March. The group’s quicksilver fiddle playing from Jenna Reid, Kristan Harvie and Rua Macmillan, is accompanied by Angus Lyon (piano) and Anna Massie (guitar).
Blazin' Fiddles
Comedy is proving to be a winner for audiences at the Corn Exchange and The Brunton continues to build on this successful programme for 2026 with Milton Jones and Friends on Saturday 7 March, Jack Docherty aka Chief Commissioner Miekelson (Scot Squad) on Friday 3 April and a mixed bill The Scottish Comedians (Des McLean, Raymond Mearns, Gareth Waugh, Gareth Much and Jay Lafferty) on Thursday 23 April.
Milton Jones
The Junkie Miracles, a funny, emotional and thought provoking play, comes to the Corn Exchange on Saturday 4 April. From 12 Step Productions, this is the story of four recovering drug addicts on the day they decided to get help. Written by Des Dillon the award-winning writer of Singing I’m No A Billy, He’s A Tim.
The Brunton is based at Loretto Theatre in Musselburgh for the Midweek Movies film programme. The raked auditorium and big screen provide the cinema experience for fortnightly films, the next being Eleanor The Great on Wednesday 21 January and Song Sung Blue on Wednesday 4 February. Eleanor The Great is directed by Scarlett Johansson and starts June Squibb as 94 year old Eleanor Morgenstein who through grief finds herself caught in a lie with unintended consequences. Song, Sung Blue stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Lightning and Thunder, a Neil Diamond tribute act who experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak on their musical journey together.
Fans of West End Theatre can also enjoy National Theatre Live screenings at Loretto Theatre in Musselburgh, with Hamlet on Thursday 22 January. This sharp, stylish and darkly funny reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy, stars Olivier award winning Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) as Hamlet. There will be more screenings throughout the year, including The Audience on Thursday 26 March. Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth in a screening of the play that inspired the Netflix phenomenon, The Crown.
Musselburgh also welcomes back favourite comedian Craig Hill with Wait ‘Til You See My Entrance on Saturday 21 February at Loretto Theatre. Craig returns to East Lothian on 29 May when he brings the show back to Haddington’s Corn Exchange.
Northesk Church in Musselburgh has a fantastic acoustic and is a beautiful setting for The Brunton’s Bite-Sized Concerts at Lunchtime series. These monthly concerts provide the opportunity for optional soup and sandwich, followed by an hour-long concert. Atelier Ensemble perform on Tuesday 10 February with a jazz and tango influenced concert. Grim Twinkle perform on Tuesday 10 March – a sparkling new collaboration of leading folk musicians, and Duo Concordia take us on A Journey Across Spain and Latin America on Tuesday 7 April.
Atelier Ensemble
The Brunton brings I Clara – Clara Schumann, A Life In Music to Northesk Church on Saturday 18 April. This highly acclaimed narrative concert was created by pianist Lucy Parham, using Clara Schumann’s letters and diaries to tell her story, accompanied by her own works and music from Robert Schumann, Brahms, Liszt, Mendelssohn and Chopin. Well known actress Joanna David (Miss Marple, Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders, Agatha Raisin) narrates.
Also, at Northesk Church, Songs from the Last Page is a spell-binding concert performed by acclaimed songwriter, Gareth Williams, on Saturday 25 April. Each song takes the last lines of iconic Scottish literature, capturing how the reader feels to finish the story. Sung from the piano accompanied by violin and cello – a true celebration of creativity.
The Brunton’s programme takes place at Corn Exchange in Haddington and Loretto Theatre and Northesk Church in Musselburgh. Full information and tickets are available from www.thebrunton.co.uk
What's on in our museums
Come in out of the cold
We loved this review by a John Muir’s Birthplace visitor “We ended up here on a freezing January afternoon. What an excellent find - thoughtfully curated, warm and friendly. We got a real feel for John Muir's life and legacy, which has inspired us to learn more. Our daughter also enjoyed the little corners with books, toys, and activities to keep her occupied whilst we went around.”
Museums are warm, friendly and free to visit with regularly changing craft activities suitable for children and families as well as temporary exhibitions and reference books available to browse and read.
New exhibition
Visions of Haddington
National Library of Scotland
Friday 16 January to Thursday 2 April
Free admission
John Gray Centre - Museum, 15 Lodge Street, Haddington, EH41 3DX
An exhibition combining mixed media images by local illustrator Thomas Small, with artworks from our council collection. Dating from the 1700s to the present day, they show Haddington people and places and are brought to life with fascinating captions by Haddington’s History Society.
Flight disruption
Saturday 6 December to Saturday 31 January
Free admission
Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 1pm to 5pm
John Muir’s Birthplace, High Street, Dunbar, EH42 1JJ
This exhibition is a collection of prints of wild British birds that are impacted by climate change. Climate change is affecting our birds in many ways: warming seas impact the food chain, rising sea levels change the geography of where birds can breed and lay eggs, bad weather can make it hard to find food and feed young and extreme temperatures can make survival difficult. Numbers of British birds are predicted to fall drastically over the coming years. The exhibition features original, hand-pulled, linocut prints of birds seen along the coast of East Lothian. Many of the birds featured are impacted in some way by climate change and are either on the red or amber list of the BTO Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK.
Winter season museum opportunities
Explore historic records and online exhibitions at johngraycentre.org
Revisit past exhibitions from John Muir’s Birthplace jmbt.org.uk
Explore the paths around Prestongrange Museums using the mobile phone tour as a guide through 400 years of local industry. eastlothian.gov.uk/prestongrange
Take a tour of Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery with Dunbar and District History Society on a Saturday afternoon. eastlothian.gov.uk/dunbar-town-house
East Lothian Council Museums
15 Lodge Street, Haddington, EH41 3DX.
Thursday and Friday 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
Saturday 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm
126 High Street, Dunbar, EH42 1JJ.
Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm
Sunday 1pm to 5pm
High Street, Dunbar, EH42 1ER.
Wednesday to Sunday 1pm to 5pm
(from Wednesday 2 April to Sunday 28 September)
Morrison’s Haven, Prestonpans, EH32 9RX.
Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 4.30pm
(from Wednesday 2 April to Sunday 28 September)
School Road, North Berwick, EH39 4JU.
Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 4pm
(from Wednesday 9 April to Saturday 25 October)
65 High St, Musselburgh, EH21 7BZ.
Thursday to Saturday 10.30am to 4pm
(from Thursday 3 April to Saturday 27 September)