Pitlochry Festival Theatre is gearing up to celebrate 60 years in the business, having just unveiled its 2011 summer season programme.
The season will open on May 13 with a production of My Fair Lady, followed by the Scottish premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s comic play Henceforward on May 19.
The production of Henceforth will mark 60 years to the day the theatre opened, in its first venue a tent.
Due to a lack of materials to construct a new building following the war, founder John Stewart pitched a tent which was later reinforced following a severe storm.
It was not until the 1970s that funds started to be raised for the construction of the present building at Port-na-Craig.
Also included in the Sixty Years Later Season is the great farce See How They Run! by Philip King, which opens on May 26, and another PFT favourite, the epic romantic comedy His Trelawny Of The Wells by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero on June 2.
It is an affectionate and hilarious portrait of the theatrical world of Pinero’s youth in the 1860s with lavish sets and costumes.
Meanwhile, July 14 will see the Scottish premiere of the 2001 version of Peter Nichols’s Privates On Parade.
As well as the opening of the theatre, 1951 also saw the death of one of its founding members, James Bridie.
For this reason, the final show in the season’s programme will be Bridie’s Dr Angelus, which opens on August 17.
Part psychological thriller, part black comedy, this dark tale of a deadly Glasgow GP is a late masterpiece by the most performed playwright in the theatre’s history.
The theatre’s chief executive and artistic director John Durnin said, “We are all really looking forward to the summer season.
“This is quite a significant milestone for Pitlochry Festival Theatre and we knew we had to find a way of making the season about what we wanted to do but also what has worked for our audiences of the years.
“Our audiences really do value us and this is not only a celebration of our past, present and future, it’s also a chance to thank people for their support.”
For more information call the box office on 01796 484 626 or visit www.pitlochry.org.uk.