Emma Lynne Harley is a Scottish multihyphenate artist. They are a director, maker, performer and writer of new theatre, and cabaret creative and singer who has worked across Scotland, the UK, and internationally for the last decade. Their work is strongly rooted in social justice and amplifying the hidden magic within the everyday. They are known for genre-melding work that centres LGBTQ+ stories, gender, health, and personal, political, and social histories. She is a lover of science-fiction, magical realism, dark comedy, and music.

They are a Lyceum L20 alum, recipient of the Dewar Arts Award, and co-director of award-winning, genre defying theatre company Siren Theatre. They trained at Queen Margaret University and was the first Scottish student to attend the National Theater Institute (USA). Emma is currently working on a number of projects as a director and writer, supported by Creative Scotland, OnFife, An Tobar and Mull, and Sanctuary Queer Arts.

As a director, Emma has worked on a number of productions, including multiple long and short-term developments and scratch nights including Louder at the Traverse Theatre (Framework Theatre), Edinburgh Fringe productions For Better, For Worse by Jill Franklin (Offie Award Shortlisted), Sex, Drugs and a Cup of Tea by herself, Daniel Sinclair by Lois Robertson, and Irrelevant by Gemma McGinley and Lois Robertson (Scottish Arts Club Theatre Award Shortlisted). As assistant director, they worked on Magnetic North’s gig-theatre retelling of the Orpheus and Euridice myth Lost in Music and was acting director for its Scottish Tour, was assistant on Mark Ravenhill’s world debut of Angela (Lyceum Sound Stage, Pitlochry Theatre and BBC Radio 4), and assistant and sound designer for Sanctuary Queer Arts and A Play, A Pie and A Pint’s Ness by Hannah McGregor.

Their main-stage directorial debut will be at Carnegie Hall and Lochgelly Theatre in November 2024, with Matthew Knights’ Jennie Lee: Tomorrow is a New Day, a whirlwind journey through the influential politician’s life, personal, and political turmoil, which has been in development since 2019.

Their work as a writer includes verbatim and gig-theatre online production TXT ME: Cyber Showcase and Online Protest (Siren Theatre and Ayr Gaiety, Best Production winner, Scottish Emerging Theatre Awards), and works in development supported by Creative Scotland including a co-written gig theatre show, and an autobiographical solo cabaret theatre-show Walking on Eggshells, about PTSD, eggs, and time travel,which received a work-in-progress sharing as part of the Royal Lyceum Theatre’s Wonder Festival.

They are currently writing a BSL integrated verbatim show in partnership with Sanctuary Queer Arts, and a play about the NHS in collaboration with the archive at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow, and An Tobar and Mull Theatre.

They also hold qualifications in sound design from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Academy of Music and Sound, and have worked as a stage manager on a number of productions ranging from Shakespeare to physical theatre and children’s shows. They are a qualified mental health first aider, and are experienced in writing risk assessments, budgets, and funding applications.

Emma is an experienced collaborator with a person-centred and trauma informed approach to working and research, with a project-focused process.