Contemporary Ritual Theatre, the bold Great Yarmouth company redefining performance as communal rite, makes its Scottish debut this September with SALT – a haunting tale of faith, obsession, and supernatural song set against the unforgiving backdrop of the 18th-century East Norfolk coast. Following a sell-out tour in England, the production charts a ten-date journey through Scotland’s coastal venues, echoing the historic migration of herring and honouring the maritime traditions that inspired its creation. With only a circle on the ground for a stage, SALT invites audiences into a visceral world of sea shanties, folk hymns, and ritual theatre that promises not just to entertain, but to transform.
SALT is enlightening audiences at Perth Theatre from September 18th – 19th
There’s something ancient stirring in the salt air. Contemporary Ritual Theatre (CRT), the boundary-breaking company from Great Yarmouth, is making its Scottish debut with SALT, a production that’s less play, more invocation. After a sold-out run across East Anglia and London, SALT returns for a UK-wide tour, anchoring itself in Scotland’s coastal communities from 5th–25th September 2025.
This is not your average touring show. CRT doesn’t do velvet curtains or proscenium arches. Instead, they offer a circle on the ground, a stripped-back stage that becomes a crucible for transformation. Their signature style, “ritual theatre”, melds movement, song, masking, and physical proximity to create a visceral experience that’s as much ceremony as it is storytelling.
Set in 1770 on the East Norfolk coast, SALT follows Billy, a devout young fisherman whose life is governed by two forces: the herring harvest and the wrath of God. He lives under the iron grip of his mother, Widow Pruttock, whose piety is matched only by her paranoia. When Sheldis, a mysterious singer with supernatural gifts, washes into their lives, Billy is bewitched. But his mother sees only danger, and she’ll go to terrifying lengths to break the spell.
The production is steeped in the sonic textures of the sea: sea shanties, folk hymns, and dances that feel dredged from the depths. It’s a tale of faith, jealousy, and demonic passion, told through a haunting score and austere choreography. CRT’s approach is immersive, demanding, and deeply physical; audiences don’t just watch SALT, they enter it.
The Scottish leg of the tour is no accident. Playwright and director Beau Hopkins has long drawn inspiration from the rugged beauty and cultural heritage of Scotland’s coast. The tour follows the historical migration path of herring through the North Sea, beginning at Shetland Arts, then moving through Lyth Arts Centre in Wick, Perth Theatre on Thursday and Friday, before finishing up in Scotland at the Paisley Arts Centre on September 20th and concluding at Universal Hall in Findhorn on September 25th. Each location is chosen not just for its stage, but for its resonance with the story’s maritime roots.
Founded in 2022, CRT is a young company with an old soul. Their work draws from folk traditions, ritual practices, and communal storytelling. SALT is their flagship production, and it’s already earned a reputation for its boldness and emotional intensity. SALT sits somewhere in the middle of things: raw, refined, and rooted. It’s theatre that doesn’t ask for your attention; it demands your surrender.
So, if you’re looking for a night of polite entertainment, this might not be your port of call. But if you’re ready to be swept into something elemental, something that sings to the bones and stirs the salt in your blood, then SALT is the ritual you didn’t know you needed.
SALT runs at Perth Theatre until September 19th, before touring to Paisley Arts Centre on September 20th, and then the rest of the UK
Photo credit – Marc Brenner
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