“A Living Herstory”: F-Bomb’ Monumental tours Edinburgh’s Forgotten Women

F-Bomb Theatre’s new walking tour celebrates overlooked women of Edinburgh past and present

This May, as part of the Edinburgh 900 celebrations, the city will see a different kind of monument spring to life—not in bronze or stone, but in story, presence, and performance. Monumental, a theatrical walking tour by feminist company F-Bomb Theatre, invites audiences to meet the women whose lives have shaped Edinburgh but whose names are too often absent from its statues and plaques.

Directed by Emily Ingram and conceived by playwright Rachel O’Regan, Monumental features five performers portraying historical women who will “come alive” at key cultural and historical sites across the city. Each character has been written by a different emerging playwright, including O’Regan herself, Hannah Low, Jaïrus Obayomi, Kirin Saeed and Emery Schaffer. Their words form an imaginative retelling of forgotten stories, chosen for both their historical significance and resonance with contemporary feminist perspectives.

More animals than women?

The project was sparked by O’Regan’s encounter with a stark statistic. “I’d heard that there are more statues of animals than named women in Edinburgh. It’s one of those figures that, when you’ve been working in feminist spaces a while, is both mind-blowing and not surprising,” she says. Wanting to reclaim public space, she devised Monumental as a form of living commemoration: “An outdoor walking tour, with actors playing statues of these historical women, would make these stories visible. It’s about claiming a public space, loudly and visibly.”

“I’d heard that there are more statues of animals than named women in Edinburgh.”

The format is purposefully active and interactive. Rather than sitting silently in a dark theatre, audiences will travel through the city itself, with time between stops to absorb each tale and engage with the landscape. “You’ll be asked to respond to your surroundings, take in the whole city and its history, and be an active part of the story,” says O’Regan.

A diverse cast of historical women

Among the figures featured are Clara Marguerite Christian, the first Black woman to study at the University of Edinburgh, and Bessie Watson, a young suffragette who played the bagpipes at a march aged just nine. Others, such as Maggie Dickson—made infamous by her miraculous survival from a public hanging—may be known to Edinburgh pubgoers, but less so for their actual historical lives.

“It wasn’t a simple task,” says O’Regan of choosing which stories to include. “Women’s stories aren’t often represented in histories of Edinburgh. Maggie Dickson was the only figure I’d personally heard of before this project, and that’s because there’s a pub named after her.”

Each playwright was matched with a historical figure based on their voice and lived experience, an approach that O’Regan believes paid off. “They each really connected with the women, which was lucky!”

Making history walk and talk

Though rehearsals were still to come when we corresponded, the team was keenly aware of the challenges ahead, from shaping character to navigating Edinburgh’s famously unpredictable weather. “We haven’t gone into rehearsals just yet, but we imagine one of the logistical nightmares will be Edinburgh’s famous weather. We’ve got some tricks up our sleeves to handle any surprises, but audience members might want to bring a brolly,” O’Regan advises.

To ensure narrative cohesion between the five distinct segments, Monumental introduces a sixth character: a tour guide who will thread the stories together. As dramaturg, O’Regan has worked to preserve the distinctiveness of each playwright’s voice. “All of the playwrights have such different voices… I didn’t want to take away from this contrast, as it really shows the individuality of each woman and what they had to overcome.”

“Maggie Dickson was the only figure I’d personally heard of before this project, and that’s because there’s a pub named after her.”

The form allows for powerful juxtapositions between past and present. As O’Regan explains, the project isn’t just about reclaiming lost narratives but also inspiring contemporary change. “One of the figures we are celebrating, Bessie Watson, played the bagpipes in a suffragette procession as a nine-year-old – the theme of the procession was ‘What women have done and can and will do’. It’s 106 years since, and this motif ties in well with the purpose of our show.”

Feminist storytelling as civic action

Founded in Edinburgh, F-Bomb Theatre has developed a reputation for championing feminist stories through bold and often unconventional formats. In an increasingly precarious Scottish arts landscape, Monumental is both a creative act and a political one. “It feels really satisfying to be able to support the work of early-career female playwrights in a time where the arts landscape in Scotland is so shaky,” says O’Regan.

For her, the project also carries a strong civic message: “We want to shine a light on underrepresented stories and encourage thought about who gets to be in the historical canon. But it will also hopefully inspire audiences to see women from different backgrounds, who made a mark in history, in various ways.”

While the stories speak of resilience, resistance, and survival, the act of telling them in the open air, against the cityscape that once ignored them, adds a layer of urgency. The city itself becomes a stage for revision, reflection, and change.

What does it mean to be ‘monumental’?

Ultimately, the show invites the public to reconsider not just who we commemorate, but how we do it. “I hope people enjoy themselves and learn about a female historical figure who they didn’t know much about before,” says O’Regan. “Then question, why didn’t I know about this female historical figure before? What other marginalised stories have been buried in time?”

For now, Monumental is tied to the Edinburgh 900 celebrations, but O’Regan sees potential for expansion: “We can definitely see Monumental returning over the years if we can fund it, with different playwrights and historical figures—and perhaps even bringing it to different cities and regions. We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of the stories we want to tell.”

Featured Image: The writers of Monumental assembled in Princes Street Gardens – image by F-Bomb Theatre.