What is the effervescent new boss at Pitlochry theatre planning for his first season? Huge names, undersung stars – and a King Lear played by ‘the woman who changed my life’
‘H
oly shit!” This was the instant response of one venerable theatre critic when Pitlochry Festival theatre sent round embargoed copies of the plan for Alan Cumming’s inaugural season. The man himself sits back in the cavernous workshop behind the theatre building, dapper in a grey plaid suit. “I loved that,” he says gleefully.
When the Hollywood star was announced as the new artistic director of Scotland’s only major rural theatre last September, there was widespread shock – not least that Cumming answered an open recruitment call – followed by feverish speculation over which A-list pals he might charm away from London or New York to perform in Highland Perthshire.
But with the public unwrapping of his first season, it is apparent that Cumming has done so much more than call in favours – it’s a programme of imagination and creative rigour, putting big names in unexpected collaborations alongside undersung Scottish talent. “There’s always this binary of bringing in more well-known people – creatives, not just actors – but also to celebrate and nurture our indigenous talents.”
