Tag: Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Edinburgh based Lyceum Theatre Company to perform at Theatre festival celebrating youth theatre in the UK

Young people aged 13-19 from around Scotland are set to take to Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s stage as part of this year’s National Theatre Connections programme, the National Theatre’s landmark annual nationwide youth theatre festival.

From 10-11 April, Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Studio will host Lyceum Youth Theatre from Edinburgh, Aberdeen based Shazam Theatre Company, East Lothian based The Mill Youth Theatre and Pitlochry Festival Theatre Young Company as they perform the Scottish premières of the plays, Alexandra Wood’s Britney’s Lock by Alexander Wood; Cloud Busting by Helen Blakeman (based on the novel by Malorie Blackman); Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth by Kirsty Housley and Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre is one of 33 theatres across the UK championing the voices and talent of local young people with over 5,000 participants from 270 companies and schools having the chance to perform on professional stages.

Regional festivals will take place at partner theatres nationwide from 4 March to 4 May, with the groups performing at a local venue first.

To celebrate the vast range of talent on display nationwide this spring, eight youth theatre groups will be invited to perform their version of one of this year’s plays at the Connections Festival held at the Lowry, Salford from 25-28 June.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Associate Director Sam Hardie said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming four youth theatre companies to perform at the NT Connections Festival in April this year.

“At Pitlochry Festival Theatre we are delighted to be hosting this amazing nationwide festival, and we look forward to a weekend of performances, workshops and importantly connecting young people with like-minded peers from across the country.

“Our festival champions young people and celebrates their brilliant work which will be showcased in our Studio theatre across two nights of double-bill performances.” 

Kirsten Adam, Head of Participation at the National Theatre, said, “We are so excited to have Pitlochry Festival Theatre taking part in this year’s National Theatre Connections, providing the opportunity for hundreds of young people from across the area to showcase their talents on their stage.

“Youth theatre is a foundation stone in young people’s development, allowing them to build their understanding of the world and develop key skills such as confidence and self-expression. We cannot wait to see this year’s participants’ imagination and creativity flourish during this year’s Connections festivals.”

Pitlochry Festival Theatre Young Company is supported by The Basil Death Trust.

TheNational Theatre Connections programme takes place at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 10-11 April. Tickets are available from the Pitlochry Festival Theatre box office on 01796 484626 or online at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com  

For more information about Connections 2026, visit the National Theatre Website.

Alan Cumming to host fundraising event for Pitlochry Festival Theatre with Off The Ball’s Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove

Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Alan Cumming is set to host a fundraising event for the Theatre on Sunday 28 September, when he spends an entertaining evening in conversation with sports pundits Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove, celebrating over 30 years of Scotland’s best loved (and self-proclaimed worst informed) football radio show, BBC Radio Scotland’s Off the Ball.

Whether you are a football fan or a Theatre lover (or both!) , join Alan as he delves into the history of this dynamic duo, and their unique style of football punditry which has brought joy each week to football fans across Scotland. The conversation will be followed by the chance for audience members to ask their own questions to Tam and Stuart.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Alan Cumming said: “I am a huge fan of Off the Ball even though I know and have very little interest in football.  

“I guested on the show once (and can’t wait to again, hint hint), and my big brother – who is a football nut and was I think rather jealous of my proximity to Scotland’s fitba royalty – said ‘you just giggled the whole time’. And he was right. “Tam and Stuart are hilarious, irreverent, and even just the timbre of their voices and their vocabulary make me howl with laughter and I could listen to them all day.

“This fundraiser is a beautiful gesture by them to support me and my plans for my first season of work at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and a great chance for everyone who loves football and comedy to witness, in the flesh, these petty and ill-informed football titans!”

Tam Cowan added: “I first suggested doing this fundraiser for the theatre when Alan Cumming was appointed artistic director as he’s been a great friend of Off the Ball with numerous plugs for the programme on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Me and Stuart appreciate the support (it’s not every day a James Bond baddie praises your work!) and, to reciprocate, I thought the least we could do was put on a wee freebie at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, just a few miles from where Stuart was born and bred.

“We’re really looking forward to a no-holds-barred petty & ill-informed evening of stories, jokes and memories – and we might even spill a few Off the Ball secrets for the punters who donate a few quid extra by splashing out on a VIP meet’n’greet ticket…!”

Pitlochry festival Theatre new Studio official opening.

An Evening with Off the Ball’s Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove is scheduled as the first in a series of In Conversation fundraising events to be held at the Theatre over the next year. 

These events will bring in much needed funds for the Theatre, a charity, which produces work here in Pitlochry at its on-site workshop and rehearsal rooms.

The funds from the evening will go to support the Theatre’s 2026 programme, which will be Alan Cumming’s first season of programming as Artistic Director, as well as the Theatre’s 75th Anniversary Season.

Further In Conversation events will be announced in the coming months.

General tickets for the fundraising event cost £25. VIP Meet and Greet packages are also available, allowing audiences members the opportunity to enjoy nibbles and drinks whilst chatting with Tam, Stuart, and Alan.

An Evening with Off the Ball’s Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove will be on Sunday 28 September at 7pm at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Tickets are available from the box office on 01796 484626 or online at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com  

To find out more about supporting Pitlochry Festival Theatre visit:

 pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/support-us/