Scottish Dance Theatre has announced that BBC broadcaster Pauline McLean will host its landmark 40th Anniversary Gala as a £15 ticket lottery opens, offering audiences the chance to be part of the milestone celebration. 

The special one-night-only Gala taking place at Dundee Rep on 31 October 2026, will bring together current Scottish Dance Theatre artists, celebrated alumni and audience favourites to mark four decades of dance, creativity and collaboration. The programme spans the company’s past, present and future, with landmark works, returning artists and performances created especially for the occasion. 

To celebrate 40 years of Scottish Dance Theatre, a limited number of £15 tickets for the 40th Anniversary Gala will be made available through a special ticket lottery, giving more people the chance to be part of this landmark occasion. Audiences are invited to enter between 8 and 12 October for the opportunity to attend an unforgettable evening of dance, special guests, celebration and shared memories. Winners will be selected at random and contacted by the Box Office team on 16 October, with a limited time to purchase up to four tickets at £15 each. 

Pauline McLean said; 

“It’s been a privilege to watch Scottish Dance Theatre grow and expand over the years, and an honour to be invited to host the Anniversary Gala which will celebrate that extraordinary story.” 

At the heart of the evening will be 40 by 40, an improvised, one-time-only performance bringing together 40 former and current Scottish Dance Theatre dancers from across the company’s history, accompanied live on the Rep stage by Glasgow-based musician Jer Reid. 

Beyond the performances, audiences will be able to explore a walkthrough archive exhibition celebrating the company’s 40-year history, while the Gala will mark the launch of Memory in Motion, a new book by Dr Andy Henry based on the newly assembled Scottish Dance Theatre archive. Following the performances, audiences will be invited onto the stage for a disco with Dundee-based DJ Peace & Jam. 

A limited number of tickets for the Gala will be available for £15 through the ticket lottery, now open: Ticket Lottery: Scottish Dance Theatre 40th Anniversary Gala  

Joan Clevillé, Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre, said: 

“This Gala is not just a celebration of 40 years of Scottish Dance Theatre, but of all the people who have made the company what it is. It feels particularly special to bring different generations of artists back together on the Rep stage, alongside the dancers and communities shaping the company today. It is a chance to celebrate where we have come from, while looking with excitement towards what comes next.”