Theatre excited to mark its 70th milestone
Pitlochry Festival Theatre (PFT) plans to gather an ensemble of actors from across Scotland to work online, creating new productions to celebrate the Perthshire venue’s 70th anniversary year.
It has set up a winter ensemble and among those hired for the new out-of-season venture are TV star of Taggart, Colin McCredie, Olivier award nominated Clare Foster and Kirsty Stuart, so well received for her part in last year’s award winning Faith Healer.
Although the circumstances of COVID in 2020 have been awful, the theatre has tried to reflect on the positives.
For the first time in its history the theatre will have a major winter output.
Usually 90 per cent of PFT’s effort goes into a six-play summer season that thrills visitors.
The winter ensemble will work with the theatre’s artistic director Elizabeth Newman and PFT’s associate directors to generate artistic content for audiences to enjoy all over the world.
They will also take part in readings, development projects, and other artistic activity.
#PFTLightHopeJoy is an online programme of diverse content that covers monologues, book readings, fun facts, poetry, stories, songs, music and participation activities.
There is Young Explorers, a series of new works especially for children and Writers’Room, a space to support writers to develop new work.
A digital programme called Poetry Fields will make use of the theatre’s natural environment to welcome audiences onsite and the winter ensemble will create audio work, to be heard by audiences as they experience the outdoor spaces in the theatre’s beautiful gardens.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s artistic director Elizabeth Newman said:“This is a seminal moment for us.
“Our first winter ensemble will be vital to our work next year.
“I am personally over the moon to share this news especially for our 70th anniversary.
“We can’t wait to get started. Bring on 2021.”
Actor Colin McCredie said:“I’ve loved working at Pitlochry Festival Theatre the last couple of years so I’m excited to be part of their first Winter Ensemble and cooking up some great new things for audiences to enjoy online and outdoors.”
Actress Clare Foster added:“I came to Pitlochry in 2019 to experience the summer season. I fell in love with the place, so I am really looking forward to producing some great new pieces for the PFT audiences, old and new, to enjoy in the coming months.”
For further information visit www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com