When Prophecy Fails
“A true multimedia production…an extraordinary telling of a peculiar story, plucked from obscurity to exist for its short, striking time upon the stage. “ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Rebecca mahar, all edinburgh theatre
conceived and created by groupwork
Step into a world of apocalyptic visions, clandestine observers and the faithful disciples of a suburban housewife. Award-winning ensemble Groupwork present a daring new piece of physical theatre, based on a 1954 study outlining a groundbreaking theory of human behaviour now known as “cognitive dissonance”. When Prophecy Fails reimagines the events surrounding history’s very first UFO doomsday cult who, convinced of an impending apocalypse, prepare themselves for salvation via flying saucer. Inevitably, though, the group face a reality which conflicts with their faith, and in turn demonstrate the profound crisis that follows the shattering of a belief.
first produced as part of manipulate festival, 2025 and subsequently presented at edinburgh international festival, 2026.
"Scotland’s young, state-of-art Groupwork, whose impressionistic fusion of dance, theatre & audio-visual cut-ups, makes for a mesmerising seventy-minute trip. " ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - neil cooper, The Herald
"Utterly gripping … total theatre" ★ ★ ★ ★ - joyce mcmillan, The Scotsman.
on tour throughout Scotland 2026/27
Thursday 27 - Sunday 30 August ; Edinburgh international festival
Thursday 17 September, 7pm ; Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
Wednesday 23 September, 7.30pm ; PAISLEY ARTS CENTRE
Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm ; the byre, St Andrews
Thursday 15 October, 7.30pm ; dundee rep theatre
Friday 23 October, 7.30pm ; Galoshans Festival, the beacon, Greenock
February 2027 ; Tron theatre, Glasgow
adapted from When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group That Predicted the Destruction of the World by Leon Festinger, Henry Riecken, and Stanley Schachter
cast grace gibson, amy kennedy, hope kennedy, samuel pashby, dylan read
choreography & co-direction vicki manderson
co-direction & dramaturgy finn den hertog
adaptation & orginal text lewis den hertog & finn den hertog
video, music & sound lewis den hertog
set & costume design milla clarke
lighting design benny goodman
stage management sophie cooper, thomas o’hear
producer sarah jane murray
production manager courtland evje
associate director ben standish
associate producer (eif & tour 2026) robin paley york
public relations joy parkinson
marketing & comms (eif & tour 2026) eragona communications
developed with the support of creative scotland, tron theatre, national theatre of scotland and royal conservatoire of scotland
production photographs by mihaela bodlovic.
