Support our new play Smoke And Mirror
A gripping family drama set in Carmichael in 1917
Click the video to hear about the play
On her wedding day, sixteen year old Grace saddles her Clydesdale horse and rides away, leaving Gus at the altar.
By the spring of 1917, she's bearing heavy burdens. She farms the land around Carmichael with her eccentric sister, Minnie, and flag-waving husband, John. Her teenage son is in the trenches and most of her champion Clydesdales have been requisitioned for the war. Only Smoke and Mirror, her beloved plough horses, remain. But when John makes a sickening mistake and a family secret is used against him, Grace's few grains of hope are scattered.
Now she must decide what to do - quickly, before it's too late. Because dogged, troubled Gus is back. He's on a mission, and on his way. And this time, there’s nowhere to run.
Support our new play Smoke And Mirror
A gripping family drama set in Carmichael in 1917
Click the video to hear about the show
Support our new play Smoke And Mirror
A gripping family drama set in Carmichael in 1917
On her wedding day, sixteen year old Grace saddles her Clydesdale horse and rides away, leaving Gus at the altar.
By the spring of 1917, she's bearing heavy burdens. She farms the land around Carmichael with her eccentric sister, Minnie, and flag-waving husband, John. Her teenage son is in the trenches and most of her champion Clydesdales have been requisitioned for the war. Only Smoke and Mirror, her beloved plough horses, remain. But when John makes a sickening mistake and a family secret is used against him, Grace's few grains of hope are scattered.
Now she must decide what to do - quickly, before it's too late. Because dogged, troubled Gus is back. He's on a mission, and on his way. And this time, there’s nowhere to run.
Click to hear about the show
On her wedding day, sixteen year old Grace saddles her Clydesdale horse and rides away, leaving Gus at the altar.
By the spring of 1917, she's bearing heavy burdens. She farms the land around Carmichael with her eccentric sister, Minnie, and flag-waving husband, John. Her teenage son is in the trenches and most of her champion Clydesdales have been requisitioned for the war. Only Smoke and Mirror, her beloved plough horses, remain. But when John makes a sickening mistake and a family secret is used against him, Grace's few grains of hope are scattered.
Now she must decide what to do - quickly, before it's too late. Because dogged, troubled Gus is back. He's on a mission, and on his way. And this time, there’s nowhere to run.
"It was like watching the best HBO drama but live. And all this in Clydesdale's village halls. Amazing."
THE NEEDLE ROOM
"Absolutely incredible. I was genuinely sat with my jaw dropped for most of it. So
impactful."
THE NEEDLE ROOM
"Rich, spectacular theatre on our doorstep. Incredible to see a familiar space transformed into a professional theatre."
THE NEEDLE ROOM
"It was like watching the best HBO drama but live. And all this in Clydesdale's village halls. Amazing."
THE NEEDLE ROOM
"Absolutely incredible. I was genuinely sat with my jaw dropped for most of it. So
impactful."
THE NEEDLE ROOM
"Rich, spectacular theatre on our doorstep. Incredible to see a familiar space transformed into a professional theatre."
THE NEEDLE ROOM
Help us bring this story to Clydesdale
What's the play?
The play is called Smoke And Mirror and it's a gripping family drama set on a farm in Carmichael in 1917.
As well as the play, we'll stage performances called Clydesdale's War, based on fascinating news clippings from the Lanark Gazette during the first world war.
Where and when is it going to be on?
JULY 2026 UPDATE - We’re now making our second funding application to stage Smoke And Mirror. If we’re successful, the premiere will be in Thankerton in March 2027, before coming to Lanark. Then, thanks to funding from SSE Renewables, it will go on to tour five village halls. In 2025 we went to Leadhills, Crawfordjohn, Symington, Coulter and Biggar.
Where did you get the idea?
Braw Clan’s playwright, Martin Travers, was inspired to write Smoke And Mirror after hearing about a lady whose father reared Clydesdale horses during WWI. He also drew on a handwritten memoir, which had been hidden away in an attic, by a soldier who served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers from 1915.
What can I expect to see?
You'll see four professional actors telling a thrilling story. It’s mainly in Scots although as with all our plays, English is woven throughout so you don’t have to be a Scots speaker to understand and enjoy it. One of the characters in Smoke And Mirror is from Todmorden in Yorkshire.
And there will be an integrated interpreted performance in BSL.
Why do you need support now?
Braw Clan is a charity. It’s especially hard to get funding for the arts at the moment - there’s not much money to go around. It helps if you can show you have support from audiences. If we can demonstrate to funders that people are interested in Smoke And Mirror, even at this early stage, that really strengthens our applications.
What kind of support can I offer?
You can show support by pledging to come and see the play if it gets funded, and pledging to make a donation if we get the funding.
General Support
The first option is a great one - simply saying “I'm interested in booking tickets if it goes ahead” is very helpful.
Donation Support
The second way to show support is even better - that’s when you say “I’d love to come and see it, AND if it gets funded I’ll make a small donation towards the cost of putting it on.”
You can pledge any amount you like - £5, £10, £50 - and we’ll only ask you to actually make that donation if our funding application is successful.
When will we know if it's going to happen?
We should know if our second funding application is successful in early November 2026.
What if I say I'll make a donation but my circumstances change?
No problem, we understand and there's nothing binding.
Help us bring this story to Clydesdale
What's the play?
The play is called Smoke And Mirror and it's a gripping family drama set on a farm in Carmichael in 1917.
As well as the play, we'll stage performances called Clydesdale's War, based on fascinating news clippings from the Lanark Gazette during the first world war.
Where and when is it going to be on?
JULY 2026 UPDATE - We’re now making our second funding application to stage Smoke And Mirror. If we’re successful, the premiere will be in Thankerton in March 2027, before coming to Lanark. Then, thanks to funding from SSE Renewables, it will go on to tour five village halls. In 2025 we went to Leadhills, Crawfordjohn, Symington, Coulter and Biggar.
Where did you get the idea?
Braw Clan’s playwright, Martin Travers, was inspired to write Smoke And Mirror after hearing about a lady whose father reared Clydesdale horses during WWI. He also drew on a handwritten memoir, which had been hidden away in an attic, by a soldier who served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers from 1915.
What can I expect to see?
You'll see four professional actors telling a thrilling story. It’s mainly in Scots although as with all our plays, English is woven throughout so you don’t have to be a Scots speaker to understand and enjoy it. One of the characters in Smoke And Mirror is from Todmorden in Yorkshire.
And there will be an integrated interpreted performance in BSL.
Why do you need support now?
Braw Clan is a charity. It’s especially hard to get funding for the arts at the moment - there’s not much money to go around. It helps if you can show you have support from audiences. If we can demonstrate to funders that people are interested in Smoke And Mirror, even at this early stage, that really strengthens our applications.
What kind of support can I offer?
You can show support by pledging to come and see the play if it gets funded, and pledging to make a donation if we get the funding.
General Support
The first option is a great one - simply saying “I'm interested in booking tickets if it goes ahead” is very helpful.
Donation Support
The second way to show support is even better - that’s when you say “I’d love to come and see it, AND if it gets funded I’ll make a small donation towards the cost of putting it on.”
You can pledge any amount you like - £5, £10, £50 - and we’ll only ask you to actually make that donation if our funding application is successful.
When will we know if it's going to happen?
We should know if our second funding application is successful in early November 2026.
What if I say I'll make a donation but my circumstances change?
No problem, we understand and there's nothing binding.
Choose your support option
Supporting Smoke And Mirror is fast and easy. Choose an option below, click the button and follow the instructions.
General Support
Donation Support
Choose your support option
Supporting Smoke And Mirror is fast and easy. Choose an option below, click the button and follow the instructions.
General Support
Donation Support
We tell spell-binding stories, in your village hall.
You know how almost no plays in Scots are put on in Scottish theatres?
Well, what Braw Clan does is make new theatre in Scots, inspired by the people of Clydesdale, and we tour it to rural communities in the south of Scotland. We bring world-class performers and powerful stories to your village hall so you can enjoy them with your family and neighbours.
In fact, someone who came to a Braw Clan performance said “After watching the play, I feel re-energised about my village and sharing our stories."
Pay what you decide, after you've seen the show.
Braw Clan's theatre tickets are priced on a Pay What You Decide basis.
There's no up front cost - you book in advance as usual, but without making a payment. After you've seen the show, you decide what you think it's worth. This removes any risk of paying for something you might not enjoy. If you haven't enjoyed the show at all, you don't have to pay anything.
All money collected (you can pay by card or cash,) helps Braw Clan make more plays.
"Tremendous. Very emotional. Great plot with some very unexpected twists."
SO LONG, WEE MOON
"One of the most powerful, affecting theatre experiences I've ever had."
SECRET WRAPPED IN LEAD
"We live outside Crawfordjohn and tonight you brought our history alive for us. Exceptional."
SO LONG, WEE MOON
We tell spell-binding stories, in your village hall.
You know how almost no plays in Scots are put on in Scottish theatres?
Well, what Braw Clan does is make new theatre in Scots, inspired by the people of Clydesdale, and we tour it to rural communities in the south of Scotland. We bring world-class performers and powerful stories to your village hall so you can enjoy them with your family and neighbours.
In fact, someone who came to a Braw Clan performance said “After watching the play, I feel re-energised about my village and sharing our stories."
Pay what you decide, after you've seen the show.
Braw Clan's theatre tickets are priced on a Pay What You Decide basis.
There's no up front cost - you book in advance as usual, but without making a payment. After you've seen the show, you decide what you think it's worth. This removes any risk of paying for something you might not enjoy. If you haven't enjoyed the show at all, you don't have to pay anything.
All money collected (you can pay by card or cash,) helps Braw Clan make more plays.
"Gritty. Authentic. Heartwarming and heartbreaking. Writing sharp and savage, unafraid to be bold."
SO LONG, WEE MOON
"Funny and moving. Such a privilege to see original, powerful live drama so close to home"
CROWN OF STRAW
"I was laughing, shocked, then sad. Seeing the play made me feel proud of living here."
SO LONG, WEE MOON