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.

"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