Review: One Hundred Voices | National Theatre of Scotland - Caring Scotland

Lisa in the theatre
2 days ago
3 min read

One Hundred Voices is an interactive walk-through that gives audiences an insight into what it's like to be a child within Scotland's care system. Audio-narrated and immersive, One Hundred Voices is at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow until 12 September, then it continues on tour across Scotland. Read my review below.

One Hundred Voices ★★★★☆

Review: 3 September 2026 | Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

One Hundred Voices is an interactive, immersive, audio-guided walk-through that gives audiences an insight into what it's like to be a child within Scotland's care system. Part of Caring Scotland - a major project documenting the lives of care-experienced people in Scotland - One Hundred Voices is a National Theatre of Scotland project in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland and the National Library of Scotland, funded with an award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Written by acclaimed playwright Nicola McCartney and narrated by two care-experienced actors - Genna Allan and Scott Kyle - One Hundred Voices has been created by theatre professionals, and it shows. This is an experience far beyond a normal static informative exhibition. The audience doesn't just watch or read the stories; they participate, becoming a spectator who is thrust into the middle of a series of intimate rooms and disorienting experiences that are designed to make us feel part of Scotland's care-experienced community.

Donned in a high-vis jacket and paired with several other audience members (max 4 per group), the audio guides lead participants through a series of interconnected rooms and spaces, where fragments of stories, poetry and music are delivered through headsets.

I was sceptical, but it really is theatrical. Karen Tennent's labyrinth set design is lit to evoke varying moods. There are sound effects and many interactive pieces to explore. When else are you able to - nay, encouraged to! - touch and examine the props?!

The One Hundred Voices walk-through can be disorienting, and at times it felt confusing, frustrating, and claustrophobic. But it's meant to do that to mirror exactly those emotions felt by a child thrust into care. Genna Allan and Scott Kyle's voices provide the perfect clear, soothing, yet at times angst-filled audio narration for the journey.

The yearning for a warm coat is one powerful thread that runs through the piece. Something so simple, so casual for most of us, yet something many kids in care don't own. It broke my heart.

I was shocked by the cost of keeping children in looked-after situations, and aghast at hearing that some foster parents only do it for the money. Not all, of course; there will be far more good people out there who do put the children's best interests first, but there are clever exercises built into the exhibition that plainly demonstrate how it feels not to be heard. One Hundred Voices doesn't shy away from sharing the horror stories that can so easily go unnoticed.

Taking about an hour to walk through the installation, One Hundred Voices is a creative, necessary, at times bleak but often uplifting production from the National Theatre of Scotland. I left shocked, angry, and more aware of the challenges facing care-experienced people that follow them for their entire lives.

This is a groundbreaking creation and a deserved winner of The Scotsman Fringe First award that recognises innovative new work. ★★★★☆

One Hundred Voices is pay what you can
When you book, you will be given a time slot. This is installation is timed to run like clockwork, with groups overlapping and space in some of the tiny rooms at a premium. So genuinely, this is one time when you do need to heed the warnings and turn up 10 minutes early to be kitted out, ready to walk through the first door exactly at your allotted time.
One Hundred Voices opened at the Scottish Parliament as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026.