Here in Glasgow, we have our very own arts production company making work for young audiences using a host of different art forms. Visible Fictions was first formed by a group of RCS Alumni back in 1991. Dougie Irvine (BA Dramatic Studies, 1991) is a founding member and the company’s artistic director and has made work that has been created, toured and presented all over the world – in theatres, schools, outdoor sites, community settings, libraries, on television, radio, the internet, and at international film festivals.

Co-productions and collaborations have been at the heart of the company’s work and his leadership, and has included partnerships with: The Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, The Edinburgh International Book Festival, BBC Scotland, Scottish Opera, The Traverse Theatre, Cumbernauld Theatre, The Toronto Festival of Authors, Aberdeen Performing Arts, Oregon Children’s Theatre, CTC in Minneapolis and The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Dougie currently serves on the board of The Independent Theatre Council where he is the Vice Chair.

Visible Fictions has various projects happening in 2026 so head over to their website for more info www.visiblefictions.co.uk

Interested in animation and have an idea? Wee Wonders Scotland is an early development animation talent scheme which will support new and emerging filmmakers in writing and directing for animation by focusing on story development and authentic voices to produce four bold, brave, daring, animation shorts between 1-3 minutes in length.

Touring in Spring 2026, Harold is a new theatre piece written to help young people make the difficult transition into their teenage years. Brutally honest, intimate and heartwarming, Harold tells the tale of how a young girl navigates big changes in her home and school life with Harold, her teddy, getting caught up in the drama. It’s been written by RCS alumnus Martin McCormick and will be directed by Dougie.

After a popular callout for artists to pitch story ideas, Working Title is under way. This is the second outing for this Visible Fictions project and it’s back with a brilliant cohort of seven artists all beginning their journey. The aim of this project is to give artists money, time and support to develop their original ‘scratch’ idea.

Visible Fictions continue collaborating with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and are in the process of creating a third series of music-driven animations for young childen, The Adventures of Yo Yo, following a young girl called Yo Yo and her family and friends in the fictional town of Inverkithkin. Having previously been broadcast on BBC iPlayer, these animations and original classical music pieces are for free to access for schools across Scotland and with a concert venue tour to follow in the spring of 2026 – it’s a powerful co-production set to delight thousands of primary school children.

Finally, the company’s latest stop frame animation Snip Snap in collaboration with Clubhouse Animations is on the short film festival circuit. Directed by Dougie, and with programmers booking the film from Lisbon to New York, including the London International Animation Festival and the Aesthetica Festival, it goes to show the popularity of this skilful and detailed art form.

You can follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.