Alan Cumming announces inaugural season as Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Alan Cumming has announced his highly anticipated inaugural season of exciting programming for 2026, which will coincide with the 75th anniversary of the celebrated Scottish Highland Theatre.
The Season 2026 will feature a programme of creatively bold and inventive productions, featuring amongst others, world premières, Scottish and UK premières, revivals of musicals and plays, a visiting production and two exciting festivals.
Throughout the season, the Theatre will welcome an incredible line up of Scottish, British and internationally renowned award–winning talent to the Scottish Highlands for what promises to be a theatrical highlight for Scotland in 2026.
Productions will include the musicals Once, directed by John Tiffany and choreographed by Steven Hoggett, and Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady, directed by Maria Friedman and featuring Alan Cumming as Henry Higgins; premières of the new plays I’ll Be Seeing You by Martin Sherman, directed by Alan Cumming and featuring Simon Russell Beale and Fra Fee; I Can Die Too by Frances Ruffelle, Sally George and Alan Cumming, co-produced with Lovechild productions; Inexperience by Scottish playwright Douglas Maxwell featuring Adura Onashile and Sandy Grierson, and the UK première of the new immersive musical CEILIDH written by the Scottish writing team Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie (Noisemaker), directed by Tony award-winner Sam Pinkleton.
The exciting Season 2026 will also feature new productions of Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams’ beautiful A History of Paper, featuring Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson and directed by CATS award-winning director Andrew Panton, co–produced with Dundee Rep Theatre; William Shakespeare’s Lear, directed and adapted by Finn den Hertog featuring Maureen Beattie as the monarch and Forbes Masson as Gloucester; Iain Heggie’s fearless and provocative play Wiping My Mother’s Arse and the National Theatre of Scotland production of David Harrower’s stage adaptation of Muriel Spark's’ novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, featuring Gayle Rankin and directed by Vicky Featherstone. The production is presented in partnership with The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
Alan Cumming said: “My first season of programmed work as Artistic Director in 2026 also happens to be the 75th anniversary of Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s founding by a man named John Stewart, who came here during the Second World War and made a promise to himself that he would return and build a theatre.
“I have found I have a great affinity with John: we both came to Pitlochry and were mesmerised, we both share a belief in dreaming big and the power of positivity and manifestation. And for my first season, just as he did in 1951, I have invited people here who I admire and love, and who have been part of the theatrical journey that led me to becoming this theatre’s Artistic Director.
“The potential of Pitlochry Festival Theatre is boundless and we have a passionate and proud staff who are ready to share the adventure ahead with me. And so, in 2026 I hope you’ll join us all for a season of work that is a homage to John Stewart’s legacy and spirit: one of boldness, of daring, and of manifesting a dream.
For more info on the new season, please click on the link below…
https://www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/