Scotland's national theatre is to work with Lee Hall, the writer of Billy Elliot, on a world premiere of a new play at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Hall has adapted the Alan Warner's 1998 award-winning novel, The Sopranos, for the stage, and the play, entitled Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, will be directed by Vicky Featherstone, the former artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS).
He said the play was "filthy, manic, hilarious and heartbreaking."
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour - the play is named after the school which the teenage characters attend - is a co-production with Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne and will be performed at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh during the Fringe, from August 18.
The play, which has yet to be cast, will also tour Scotland and to Live Theatre, Newcastle until 24 October.
As part of its tour it will play the Tron Theatre, Glasgow from September 8-12.
The show is part of the NTS programme from July to December this year which was revealed yesterday.
Hall, a playwright and screenwriter from Newcastle, said the play was a project he has wanted to bring to the stage since he first read the book 17 years ago.
He added: "Alan Warner's view of the world chimed so much with my own experience of growing up in Newcastle so it seemed a perfect project to work on as a co-production with Live Theatre where I have a very long association.
"I think the Scots and Geordies share a common understanding of the world.
"A robust sense of humour, an appetite for a good time and a lack of pretension about what Art should be.
"The Sopranos is filthy, manic, hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure - all the things I think theatre should be. Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is a show full of music from the most exquisite classical choral pieces to foot stomping disco classics and much else in between."
Ms Featherstone said: "I am beyond thrilled that Alan Warner has trusted Lee Hall with his game-changing novel about the Soprano's from Oban and am honoured that Laurie Sansom [current artistic director of NTS] has programmed this anarchic, heart-breaking and life-filled show.
"It is everything that Scotland is - fearless, hopeful, musical, angry, unique and I cannot wait to be back telling this story with the National Theatre of Scotland."
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour will also travel to Glasgow, Aberdeen, Fife, Perth, and Musselburgh.
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