This August, our dialogue and debate programme returns with a powerful line-up of diverse voices from across the cultural, legal, academic and political spectrum.

Through a wide-ranging programme exploring freedom of speech, artistic activism, financial responsibility and the power of representation, this year’s series brings together speakers who may not always agree - but who are united in their search for the truth. 

Freedom of Expression – in Arts and Academia

The Truth We Seek: Artistic Freedom
Tue 5 Aug, 2.00pm

Playwright Ahmed Masoud joins theatre director Vicky Featherstone, lawyer Niall Mclean and Chair Simon Fanshawe to interrogate the tensions between creativity and accountability. Expect a lively discussion on the right to offend, the role of cultural institutions, and how artists navigate truth in charged times.

The Truth We Seek: Academic Freedom
Mon 11 Aug, 2.00pm

Cultural historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford and Palestinian scholar Dr Toufic Haddad join Professor Jo Shaw and Niall McLean to explore how academic freedom is threatened across the globe. From contested histories to institutional responsibility, this panel examines how different societies seek to control knowledge — and why the global struggle over who gets to pursue and define truth has never been more urgent. 

The Unseen Truth: Sarah Lewis
Mon 18 Aug, 2.00pm

In The Unseen Truth, Harvard professor Sarah Lewis delivers a keynote on visual culture, democracy and racial justice, based on her Vision & Justice project. She is joined in conversation by award-winning writer and performer Travis Alabanza, whose work challenges norms around gender, identity and representation. 

Making It Happen: Building Trust in Financial Institutions
Wed 6 Aug, 5.30pm

Between performances of the biting satire Make It Happen starring Brian Cox, we invite audiences to a panel that unpacks the impact of the financial crash on the public, and the road to restoring transparency and trust in financial institutions. Speakers include former CEO of Lloyds TSB, Dame Susan Rice, fintech pioneer Stephen Ingledew and Sarah Jayne Dunn of Citizens Advice Scotland, with moderation from Professor Liz Grant. 

The Role of Political Resistance
Thu 14 – Sun 17 Aug

After every performance of Cutting the Tightrope, audiences are invited to join a post-show panel exploring the urgent themes raised on stage. As the restriction of expression becomes a reality for many artists in today’s world, this discussion brings together artists, politicians, legal experts and cultural thinkers to ask what role can the arts play in speaking out, what are the risks, and what is lost when voices are silenced? 

As the restriction of expression becomes a reality for many artists in today’s world, each discussion will bring together a different panel of artists, activists and cultural thinkers to ask what role can the arts play in speaking out, what are the risks, and what is lost when voices are silenced? Speakers include Leena Nammari, Asil Sidahmed, Barnaby Raine, Hamish Morrison and will be moderated by writer and poet Zena Agha.

At a time of increasing polarisation, we platform ideas that challenge, provoke and inspire. These conversations are not about consensus - they’re about the value in holding space for complex subjects and a range of views. 

Explore the full Talks programme.