Pitlochry Festival Theatre has announced that it will be reopening its doors for the first time in nearly two years to welcome audiences back Inside (and Outside!) with an exciting line- up of world premieres, classic plays, new writing, and a smash- hit musical, as well as a brand-new studio performance space and extension to its front of house.
2022 marks an incredibly exciting time for the Theatre as it continues to emerge from the pandemic with joy and determination to keep bringing live performance to audiences in Pitlochry.
Running from April till October, the 2022 season will kick off in the Theatre’s new studio with the premiere of Helping Hands (21 Apr – 7 May), Cathy Forde’s moving new play about the relationship between an agency care worker and her client. Designed to showcase new writing and touring productions from all around Scotland, the studio will also be home to two further premieres during the season; Sara Saharawi’s (Niqabi Ninja) Sister Radio (25 August – 28 Sept) – an exciting new co-production with Stellar Quines Theatre Company – about the relationship between two sisters who migrate from Iran to Edinburgh in the 1970s, as well as Martin McCormick’s new play The Maggie Wall (9 – 29 September) which asks why humans carry on the ghost story tradition, despite the fact, for most of us, being scared is an unpleasant and discomforting experience.
The season will open in the auditorium in May with a staging of Stephen Greenhorn’s much-loved musical Sunshine on Leith (20 May – 1 October). Set to fantastic songs from world-renowned Scottish band The Proclaimers, Sunshine on Leith is both a funny and moving story about Davy and Ally, two Edinburgh natives returning to their hometown after serving in war torn countries overseas, who are questioning what ‘home’ really means. The production will open in Pitlochry before heading to the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh for a two-week run, and then return to Pitlochry through early October. Sunshine on Leith is a co-production with Capital Theatres.
Other highlights in the Theatre’s auditorium include the premiere, co-produced with Watford Palace Theatre, of Anne-Marie Casey’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women (21 July – 29 September); Michael Frayn’s iconic backstage comedy Noises Off (May 27 – 1 October) which celebrates its 40th anniversary; and a revival of Noël Coward’s classic 1930s comedy of manners, Private Lives (17 June-30 September).
The 2022 season will also see the premiere of two exciting new productions performed in the Theatre’s picturesque amphitheatre, nestled within its Explorers garden and in the shadow of Ben-y- Vrackie. From 8 June – 7 July, the Theatre will stage playwright and actor Lesley Hart’s (The Lemon Tree, Òran Mór) brand new adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic detective tale Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Lipstick, Ketchup and Blood. In August, the Theatre will present the world premiere of David Greig’s (The Adventures with the Painted People) adaptation of Charlotte Higgins’ acclaimed book, Under Another Sky (10 Aug – 23 Sept), which explores how we, as individuals and as a society, relate to a deep and sometimes lost past when the Romans held much of Britain as an imperial possession – through traces and echoes in the landscape, through artefacts, and through the stories we tell ourselves about nationhood.
The 2022 season will also feature a terrific line up of entertainment for all the family. In July, the creative team behind last year’s successful production of The Wind in the Willows will return with an exciting new adaptation, performed on the riverbank, of Jules Verne’s family adventure Around the World in 80 Days (8 July-17 September). The same month, family audiences will also be able to visit the theatre’s beautiful Explorers garden for the wonderful new promenade experience of Peter Rabbit (14 July – 4 Sept). As audiences walk around the gardens, they will enjoy an audio story of one of their favourite Beatrix Potter tales and might even get the opportunity to meet a real-life Peter Rabbit and his sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail.
Throughout the 2022 season, Pitlochry Festival Theatre will also celebrate live music by hosting a series of inside and outside events, featuring music from the great musicals to the splendour of opera, as well as evenings dedicated to Gaelic music.
Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre said:
“I am thrilled that next year we will welcome audiences back inside for our Spring and Summer Programme! Once again, you will be able to experience six plays in six days. In our main auditorium you will be able to watch four big productions including the smash-hit musical Sunshine on Leith and Noises Off, on its 40th Anniversary! For the first time in Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s history, we will have a studio theatre where you will be able to see three cracking new plays. We will also build on the success of our 2021 outdoor summer season and premiere two new productions in our amphitheatre, concerts in the grounds and a family extravaganza on the riverbank alongside our Peter Rabbit Experience in PFT’s Explorers garden. The entire programme Inside and Outside will be supported by our continued work Online.
This season we will also collaborate with Capital Theatres, Watford Palace Theatre and Stellar Quines Theatre Company to make three of our summer productions. This will enable us to reach even more audiences across the UK and to continue to share Pitlochry with the world and the world with Pitlochry.
The commitment from audiences, artists, and participants to Pitlochry Festival Theatre over the past two years has been incredible. We really do want PFT to continue to be a haven where we can continue to celebrate life and make sense of the world. I hope the programme offers an exciting return inside to experience important plays, fun drama, and joyful stories with each other. A big thank you to everyone for sticking with us. I look forward to seeing everyone Onside, Outside and Online in 2022!”
Ahead of the start of the summer 2022 season, Pitlochry Festival Theatre will be staging its annual Winter Words festival (14-20 February), beginning the nation’s Year of Stories with a fantastic celebration of Scotland, storytelling, and the natural world.
The theatre will also be offering a Festival Members scheme in which audiences can unlock great benefits and support the Theatre at the same time. For only £40 a year, members will receive access to priority booking for the 2022 season and discounts on tickets and retail purchases.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre is supported by funding from Creative Scotland and Perth and Kinross Council. It is also grateful to the many individual donors, trusts, and foundations who continue to support the theatre.
Further information about the 2022 season will be announced in the coming months.
Tickets for the 2022 season are now on sale to existing Pitlochry Festival Theatre members and on general sale from Thursday 20 January 2022. For further information on tickets and the Theatre’s membership schemes visit www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com or call 01796 484626.
