The Show For Young Men

Directed by Eoin McKenzie and co-created in collaboration with Robbie Synge and young performer Alfie, The Show for Young Men is a funny and tender new contemporary dance performance that poetically considers the complexities of modern-day masculinity as it affects both boys and men.

With humour, risky physical duets and heartfelt choreography, The Show for Young Men depicts the friendship between a boy and a man as they dance and play together. In matching boiler suits they construct and deconstruct their environment, each one pulling the other towards a different goal. As their bond deepens, and shared conflicts arise, they learn that there are many ways to be a man.

Working towards a hopeful image of male care and compassion in a world filled with violence, dominance, and isolation, The Show for Young Men is a bold attempt to challenge outdated traditions of manhood, championing boys' and men's capacities for care, friendship, and vulnerability. 

Age recommendation: 8yrs+

The Show for Young Men is available for UK and International touring from February 2026. Please contact us for a tour pack and tech specs.

“It’s a work of quiet intelligence and enormous tenderness”
— The Stage

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

13 - 15 February 2026

Imagine Festival / Southbank Centre

Book Tickets Here

PREVIOUS TOUR DATES

November 2025

NottDance / Nottingham Contemporary (England)

May 2025

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival / The Studio at Festival Theatre (Scotland)

March 2025

Aaben Dans Co-Production / Aaben Dans (Denmark)

September 2024

Platform, Easterhouse (Scotland)

August 2024

Made in Scotland Showcase / Dance Base (Scotland)

“The Show For Young Men strikes just the right balance of rough-and-tumble humour and emotional depth.”
— The Scotsman

CREDITS

Alfie & Robbie Synge - Performers

Eoin McKenzie - Director 

Isy Sharman - Producer

Rachel O’Neill - Scenographer

Katharine Williams - Lighting Designer

Greg Sinclair - Sound Designer

Production Manager - Craig Fleming (SNC Productions)

With choreographic support from Aya Kobayashi, and dramaturgical support from Luke Pell and Ivor MacAskill. 

The Show for Young Men premiered at Dance Base, Edinburgh, as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2024.

Created with support from Creative Scotland, Imaginate and North Edinburgh Arts Centre. Previously developed with support from The Ark, Dublin; AabenDans, Denmark and Imaginate’s Accelerator programme. Accelerator is supported by the PLACE programme, funded by the Scottish Government, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals, and supported and administered by Creative Scotland.

Trailer Credit: Cedric Audinot

Two performers - a Back boy in a red adidas tracksuit and an older man in a bright blue jumpsuit catching colourful plastic pipes as they're thrown over a metal barrier.
A boy dancing in front of a large, illuminated orange backdrop in a dark room.
A Black boy in a blue jumpsuit sliding out of a large black pipe on a stage, with a man standing behind the pipe, lifting it up and smiling. The stage has a blue floor, metallic screens on wheels and is lit with stage lights.
A Black young boy with dreadlocks wearing a blue jumpsuit holding a microphone that he is singing into. His shadow is cast on the metal wall behind him.
A Black boy is sitting on an orange ladder, and is sharing a biscuit with a white man standing next to him. Both are wearing blue work overalls. They are in front of a silver screen.
A white man and a Black boy are playing together. The boy is sitting on the man and he walks on hands and feet across the stage. They are both dressed in blue jumpsuits. The floor is blue and they are in front of a silver screen.

Photo Credits: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan (@tgkwan)