TXT ME: Cyber Showcase and Online Protest is an award-winning digital verbatim show about the lesser-known facets of Robert Burns, real CCTV footage of sexual harassment, and feeling unsafe at night. 

TXT ME brought together: The responses from an online and Ayrshire-wide text-in poster campaign; an interview with the manager of an Ayrshire pub following viral CCTV footage depicting a man impersonating a bouncer; Burns poetry and song; historical letters from Burns alluding to a rape committed by Burns; political speeches; and TripAdvisor reviews.

Alongside this original commissioned piece of theatre, our Cyber Showcase and Online Protest project: 

• gathered creative responses to feeling unsafe and the #MeToo movement from local artists
• featured a panel discussion on theatre’s role within women and femme’s safety
• designed and delivered three writing workshop series on creative empowerment, delivered to fellow artists, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and youth theatre groups. Find out more about workshops here.

TXT ME premiered online in 2021 as part of The Gaiety’s Made In Ayr Digital Festival. It was funded by the South Ayrshire Council and Creative Scotland, and won Best Production at the Emerging Scottish Theatre awards. Additional support and outreach in partnership with the STAR Centre Ayrshire.

Credits for TXT ME:

Written, Performed and Presented by Emma Lynne Harley, Lucy Harrower, and Imogen Stirling

Research and Interview Lead – Emma Lynne Harley

Sound Design and Live Music from Van Ives

Filmed and Edited by Joshua MacFarlane

Lighting by Fraser Emslie

Sound by Andrew King

Produced by Siren Theatre Company and The Gaiety

Production support from Eventure Scotland

Filmed at The Gaiety

Further credits for our Cyber Showcase:

This Time Not You (poetry)

Written and performed by Imogen Stirling

Be Sweet and Skin (music)

Written and performed by Jodie Rae

Revenge is a Dish Best Served Bold (spoken word)

Written and performed by Annaliese Broughton

3am Love (musical comedy)

Written by Emilie Robson and Susan Aitken

Performed and accompanied by Susan Aitken

Grace and Comb (music)

Written, performed and accompanied by Alexandra Shrinivas

Additional accompaniment for Comb by Esther Swift

Online Protest Credits:

Hosted by Emma Lynne Harley

Panellists: Laura Wooff, Lydia Davidson, and Jess Hoar

Additional Thanks To:

Ashley Nicholson, Robbie Gordon, Jack Nurse, Lauren Mitchell, Kerry Porter, Sally Rennie, Steven Paton, the team at The Gaiety, AMD Studios, and our anonymous TXT ME campaign responders