Cathy

Following a sell-out world premiere at the Traverse Theatre during the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Elaine C. Smith returns to the title role in CATHY, Eilidh Loan’s darkly funny and deeply moving play about family, grief and finding your way back to life.

CATHY was one of the biggest word-of-mouth hits at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival selling out every seat even before it opened. Written and directed by Eilidh Loan, CATHY was inspired by her Glaswegian grandmother and the unique way she dealt with grief after losing her husband. Loan wrote the role with Elaine C. Smith in mind, resulting in a part that makes full use of one of Scotland’s best-loved performers’ formidable comic instincts alongside her dramatic range.

Fierce, funny, heartbreaking and ultimately full of hope, CATHY follows a family trying to find one another again after loss. Its combination of sharp Scottish humour and emotional honesty made it a natural fit for audiences at the Fringe, and now brings it to Elaine C. Smith’s home city as part of Scotland’s biggest celebration of comedy.