James Ley (dramatist)

James Ley is a Scottish playwright and screenwriter based in Glasgow.[1] He is best known for the play Love Song to Lavender Menace which premiered at Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in 2017. Ley’s previous works include I Heart Maths for Oran Mor, SPAIN for Glasgay! and UP for The Vault, Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[2]

Writing career

Written as an LGBT History Month Scotland Cultural Commission, Ley's play Love Song to Lavender Menace explores the story of the Lavender Menace Bookshop in Edinburgh which operated between 1982 and 1987.[3][4][5] The play was first performed at the Village Pub Theatre, Leith which presents readings of short plays and was co-founded by Ley.  

In 2022, Ley's surreal romantic comedy Wilf, a play about a man who falls in love with his car, was performed at Traverse Theatre as part of their Edinburgh Festival Fringe season.[6] Also in 2022, Ley wrote and directed Ode to Joy (How Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party) which was performed at Summerhall as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and it won a Scotsman Fringe First Award.[7]

James Ley worked with Damian Barr to adapt Barr's memoir, Maggie & Me, for the stage in 2024.[8]

In 2025, James Ley's short film, Sleazy Tiger, had its world premiere at Palm Springs International Film Festival ShortFest, as part of the GAYLA! programme. It stars Jay Newton, Alan Cumming, and Jack Douglas.[9]

Plays

  • The Ego Plays, Oberon Books, 2011, ISBN 9781849432306
  • Love Song to Lavender Menace, Oberon Books, 2017, ISBN 9781786823427
  • Wilf (Traverse Theatre, 2022)
  • Ode to Joy (How Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party) (Summerhall, 2022)
  • Maggie & Me, Co-writer with Damian Barr (Traverse Theatre, 2024)

Films

  • Sleazy Tiger, Director and Screenwriter (2025)

References

  1. ^ "James Ley | Sayle Screen". saylescreen.com. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Playwrights' Studio, Scotland | Playwrights". www.playwrightsstudio.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Play celebrates Edinburgh's secret gay scene". The Herald. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  4. ^ Fisher, Mark (17 October 2017). "Love Song to Lavender Menace review – an ode to 80s LGBT booksellers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. ^ "INTERVIEW: Sigrid Neilson and Lavender Menace Creatives". British Theatre. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  6. ^ Wolf, Matt (11 August 2022). "At Edinburgh's Festivals, Big Names and Live Issues". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. ^ Easton-Lewis, Andrew (19 August 2022). "Fringe Firsts: six more winners of our Edinburgh Fringe new writing awards revealed". The Scotsman. p. 1. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Maggie & Me". National Theatre of Scotland. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  9. ^ "SLEAZY TIGER | Palm Springs International Film Festival". www.psfilmfest.org. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
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