The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, adapted by David Harrower from the novel by Muriel Spark, is set at Marcia Blaine School for Girls, where teacher Miss Jean Brodie is, famously, in her prime. Each year, Brodie selects her ‘set’, the crème de la crème of girls whom she will shape into the women they could become, and in return she demands utter loyalty from them all. Brodie is witty, seductive and swirling in contradictions, and her mythical ability to invent her own truths and manipulate her girls ultimately leads her to risk everything. Dyfan Dwyfor plays Teddy Lloyd, the Art Master at the school.
Directed by Vicky Featherstone, this new production by the National Theatre of Scotland, presented in partnership with the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre tours to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Pitlochry from the 2 October 2026. Tickets are available here: https://www.
What drew you to Teddy Lloyd, and what are you discovering about him during rehearsals?
Well, firstly I was lucky enough to be asked to audition for the part! And then I started looking into him as a character. He’s a fascinating human, incredibly flawed but there’s obviously something about him that Brodie is drawn to. As with us all, things are not always what they seem, and there is no linear line to one’s behaviour and why they do things.
How do you see Teddy’s relationship with Jean Brodie, particularly beneath its obvious attraction and tension?
I hesitate to use the word toxic…but there certainly is an intoxicating element to it. They are infatuated with each other, and there seems to be a constant invisible bond between them. They are deeply affected by one another’s actions, whether they are witness to it or not. Does it ever fade? We’ve yet to answer that!
Teddy is surrounded by characters with strong ideas and personalities — how does he navigate Brodie’s influence?
Come as see the show to find out, ha! I’m not sure he navigates it too well…
Were you familiar with Muriel Spark’s writing and the original novel, and what can audiences expect from David Harrower’s updated adaptation?
I was aware of the book after having moved up to Scotland in 2019. To my shame, before then, Muriel Spark had completely passed me by. As soon as I got the meeting, I started reading the novel and obviously loved it. With this new version from David, people should expect a radical new perspective to it. I think at times it will certainly shock and hopefully provoke new and interesting conversations about what Muriel Spark was presenting to us.
The play explores power, influence and manipulation — what do you think makes those themes still feel relevant today?
Those themes will always be relevant so long as there are humans on the earth! We are fallible, and they there will be people that will always aim to trample on others to get to a higher place and feel more secure and important – in their own minds! That’s never going to go away. However, saying that, it doesn’t mean we have to accept it. We can challenge, we can fight, and in doing that hopefully we can show those people that there is a consequence!
What has surprised you most about working with Vicky Featherstone and this cast on the production?
Firstly, I’m delighted to be working with Vicky. I’ve admired her for so long and never had the chance to be in a room with her. It such a creative and welcoming space, but that’s not a surprise at all!
I suppose the biggest surprise is how much is up for grabs, as in how much we can potentially tweak the original that Muriel Spark wrote. Yes, we are telling the tale of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, but there is scope to expand on some elements, and delve deeper into some of the things that she was writing about, and Vicky and David have made that possible.
It’s such a fantastic room, full of brilliant, experienced actors and new faces who are certainly going to light that stage up. I’m excited by what we are looking to present!