QMU students launch bold new theatre company championing women’s voices
Two Acting and Performance students from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh have launched a bold new theatre company committed to challenging gender inequality in Scottish theatre.
Jenna Stones and Lucia Ireland, who will graduate from QMU this summer, are the co-founders of DollsnRags Productions, a female-led company driven by a shared passion to spotlight the female experience - both contemporary and historical.
Their debut production in partnership with Scottish Women’s Aid, Happy Ending Street, will premiere this August at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, staged at Leith Arches. Set in 1890s Edinburgh, the play is a bold, comedic exploration of class, gender, and resilience - offering a powerful new lens on women’s historical experiences in the country.
Through authentic, complex, and compelling storytelling, DollsnRags aims to amplify women’s voices and reshape the narrative landscape of Scottish theatre.
Happy Ending Street is a story about survival, sisterhood, and resistance with biting humour and emotional honesty - it explores what it means to reclaim power in a world built for men and offers audiences a raw, unapologetic look at the strength and solidarity of women who refuse to be forgotten. It’s a dark comedy that celebrates female rage - with a thrilling edge of danger.
The play is written by Jenna, an actor and writer from Clackmannanshire, and produced by Lucia, an actor and singer/song writer from Inverness. The pair met at QMU while studying BA (Hons) Acting and Performance where they co-founded DollsnRags Productions. Both Jenna and Lucia will be directing and performing in the play alongside guest actress Breagha Sturrock from Glasgow.
Lucia Ireland, said: “DollsnRags began as a response to the one-dimensional female roles that we had too often encountered in Scottish theatre – we found that there was often a limited representation and emotional depth given to female characters on stage, in comparison to their male counterparts. We felt driven by a need to tell female-led stories that were just as complex and grounded in authenticity as other roles.
“QMU has been instrumental in shaping our creative and collaborative ethos. We’re thrilled to share this next chapter with the wider university community which has been such a huge part of our journey.”
DollsnRags has already been garnering significant momentum, with over 1000 followers and 15,000 views on its social media channels and being one of just 15 companies to be accepted into the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland x Converge Arts Enterprise Challenge – a competition to help students and graduates transform their passion for the arts into creative businesses that can solve real-world problems.
Happy Ending Street will take place at Leith Arches (Fringe Venue 324) from 1st to 9th August.
Book your tickets at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/happy-ending-street or email dollsnragsproductions@gmail.com.
