Slung Low founder to head up Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

ALAN LANE, founder of Leeds-based theatre company Slung Low, has been appointed Creative Director of Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

He will take over the role from MICHAEL BRAITHWAITE in 2025.

As Artistic Director of Slung Low since 2010, Lane has directed large-scale community-driven productions both on stages and in non-theatre spaces for organisations including Barbican, the BBC, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Liverpool, European Capital of Culture.

He was the Artistic Director for the National Commemoration of the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme in 2016 and co-Director of The Awakening in 2023, the opening ceremony of LEEDS 2023 – a year of culture. An Army Reservist since 2015 Lane also served as Creative Consultant for the Army Expo 2022 and 2023.

Lane said: “Throughout my career, I have been honoured to work on large-scale productions around the world, but nothing compares to the spectacle of the Tattoo.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to combine my military experience as an Army Reservist and my career as a performance director to continue to create the world’s greatest immersive event on the Castle Esplanade and beyond."

CEO of Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo JASON BARRETT added: “Alan joins at what is an incredibly exciting juncture in the Tattoo’s history, with the 75th anniversary on the horizon and growth beyond Edinburgh in the years to come.

"His wealth of experience, obvious talent and creative vision will be a real boost for us at the Tattoo and I’m looking forward to working alongside him over the coming years as we seek to wow audiences both at home and abroad."