PFT cast all set for summer season
Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s new 18-strong acting ensemble – one of the largest in the UK – recently gathered on the banks of the River Tummel, ahead of what promises to be a spectacular Summer Season.
The 2017 Season opens on Friday, May 26, with High Society, which features a stellar score by Cole Porter, closely followed by JM Barrie’s ghost story, Mary Rose, which opens on June 1.
Several familiar faces stand out, including Dougal Lee, who chalks up his 16th PFT Season and more than 60 productions.
Margaret Preece, last seen in 2015 as a memorable Lady Bracknell also features this year, as does Helen Mallon, who helped bring Christmas cheer to one and all with her recent performance in Scrooge!
Alan Steele makes a welcome return to PFT and will play JM Barrie in Mary Rose, a return to a role he executed to perfection in the excellent production of The Admirable Crichton in the 2014 season.
And it’s a case of hello again to Irene Allan, who is a familiar face on the stage having worked with National Theatre of Scotland, Citizens Theatre, Dogstar Theatre and the Royal Lyceum.
Irene’s previous roles in PFT productions were in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, Lady Windermere’s Fan and What Every Woman Knows.
Another returning face is Alex Scott Fairley, who brought the house down with sublime performances in A Chorus of Disapproval in 2014.
Amongst the many new faces, Mark Faith brings a wealth of West End experience, having performed in The Phantom Of The Opera, Saturday Night Fever, Dirty Dancing and Fame, amongst others.
Also new to PFT, but no stranger to a song and dance is Serena Giacomini, who has toured the UK in productions
The 18-strong acting ensemble at Pitlochry Festival Theatre of Beauty And The Beast, Cabaret and Over The Rainbow, to name a few.
Valerie Cutko makes her first PFT appearance this summer, but she is certainly no stranger to musicals – she stole the reviews as Mrs Mullins in Carousel at London’s Arcola Theatre in 2014 and has also enjoyed parts in both motion picture versions of Les Misérables and The Phantom Of The Opera.
Swapping the touring life for Highland Perthshire, Elliot Fitzpatrick is ready for the PFT challenge of multiple plays having recently worked on productions of Seussical and That Is All You Need To Know in the UK and Asia.
And Sara Clark Downie, a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, has already had a blistering career having recently filmed the second series of Lovesick for Channel 4.
Finally, after appearing in the 2015 productions of The Lady In The Van, A Little Night Music and Home And Beauty, Alan Mirren is also returning this year.