Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson will perform together on stage for the first time in a new production of Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams’s musical A History of Paper.
The production is presented by Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Dundee Rep Theatre and is directed by Dundee Rep Theatre Artistic Director Andrew Panton.
A History of Paper will run at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 9 August to 12 September, before transferring to Dundee Rep Theatre from 16 to 19 September.
The musical charts a lifelong relationship through the small fragments of paper people leave behind, including tickets, letters and shopping lists. It explores unbounding joy and impossible grief through music and storytelling.
The show was originally commissioned and developed by Dundee Rep Theatre and premiered at the Traverse Theatre during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024. The production went on to win a Fringe First Award, Music Theatre Review Best Musical and Best Director at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland.
Alan Cumming said:
“I fell in love with this musical when I saw it at the Traverse as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and felt so connected to its narrative.
Andrew and I asked Shirley Henderson to come and sing through some of the songs with me, and suddenly it became a deep and rich and heart-wrenching memory play, as two older people looked back at their lives together.”
Shirley Henderson said:
“I feel very happy and a little nervous and have this little bubble of excitement in my tummy to be jumping in at the deep end with the extraordinary Alan Cumming as we try to bring “A History of Paper” to life. It is such a beautiful play full of tenderness and fun and love and sweet music written by Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams. With this gorgeous writing, sweet music, my friend Alan and the very brilliant Andrew Panton who will direct the play meant I could only say yes when they asked me to become involved.”
Director Andrew Panton added:
“A History of Paper is a piece that is incredibly close to my heart and artistic soul. Every step of our creative journey has been a celebration of Olly through his beautiful words and Gareth’s stunning score. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be embarking on this exciting adventure with Alan and Shirley as we create a new production together.”
The creative team includes designer Ana Inés Jabares Pita, musical director Gavin Whitworth, lighting designer Bruno Poet and sound designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite.
The production forms part of Alan Cumming’s inaugural season as Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
