“I’m not good at goodbyes,” admits Elizabeth Newman, gazing out across the lush green surroundings of Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
“It’s probably why I’m slightly in denial that I’m leaving. I’m going to miss it here so much.”
It’s easy to see why. Beyond the colourful campus, the light sparkles on the river, and the trees sway gently in the breeze. We can almost see Elizabeth’s house from here.
Indeed, for the outgoing artistic director, who announced her imminent departure back in July, Pitlochry Festival Theatre hasn’t just been a workplace for the past six years – it’s been a home.
Elizabeth Newman found family in Pitlochry
“If I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have met my partner, Russell, and I wouldn’t have my family,” says Elizabeth. “He comes from Edinburgh but we met through the Pitlochry world. And this is an amazing place.
“We’ve lived by the River Tummel, really close to the theatre. And it’s been beautiful to see my daughter Annabella grow up here.
“She was born in Ninewells, and she’s three now. This place is just so special to our family.
“To be in Port Na Craig and see all the tress covered in lichen, and know you’re breathing this beautiful air, it’s been a real privilege.
“My partner and I have said all summer when we’ve been sat by the river having our little barbecues, that we’ve never taken it for granted, the beauty of it,” she continues dreamily.
“When we’re paddling our feet in the river, or going in the dell just round the corner, or going for our walks up to the Black Spout and over the top towards the Moulin [hotel]… we’ve never not seen how beautiful it is.
“I feel like Scotland will always be my home, my heart will always belong here. My mum’s moving to Fife, so I’ll definitely be back a lot!”
Six years into a three-year tenure…
But for the moment, Elizabeth and her family are headed to new pastures as she takes on the role of artistic director at Sheffield Theatres, where she’ll be looking after three theatres instead of one.
“It’s a very different job,” says Elizabeth, 39, who was headhunted for her new role. “It’s three theatres, and quite big ones.
“But being an an artistic director, it’s really important to stay for a time, pour loads of energy into a place and leave it in a good state for the next person to do the same.
“I think you always want to leave somewhere at the point where you really don’t want to leave!”
Indeed, when she first made the trip north back in 2018 from Bolton’s Octagon Theatre, Elizabeth “said I would stay three to five years”.
That was six years ago.
Elizabeth helped transform far-flung theatre
At that point, she recalls, PFT had only one theatre – now there’s three performance spaces, which she leads me through in turn.
“We’ve got the main auditorium of course,” smiles Elizabeth, as we walk through a maze of black backstage corridors bustling with activity.
Actors run lines, wardrobe designers pin pieces of fabric, and all of them throw scraps of information to Elizabeth as she passes, which she expertly catches and seems to store away in an invisible file.
“We also have our studio theatre [a smaller space with seats surrounding a central ‘stage’], which is really stunning,” she continues. “And of course, there’s outside amphitheatre.”
Newman: ‘The pandemic was very special’
For loyal Pitlochry audience members, said amphitheatre will still be synonymous with the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.
It was one of the innovations, along with their online Soundstage project and outdoor shows on the lawn, which kept Pitlochry Festival Theatre afloat during that uncertain time.
“For me, personally, I think the pandemic was very special,” reflects Elizabeth. “Which sounds like an odd thing to say, really, because it was so hard in lots of ways.”
“But when we opened our shows on the lawn with The Wind In The Willows, and those seven brilliant ensemble members started to sing, and Colin McCredie was driving along in his ‘poop! poop!’ car… there was something utterly extraordinary about that.
“I would say that period stands out with regards to productions. The response to Sunshine on Leith was extraordinary, and to see the audience loving it so much was amazing.”
For Elizabeth, the pandemic also offered a chance for the theatre to connect more deeply with its surrounding community, despite audiences being unable to come inside.
“We launched our telephone club, where we called people who were alone during the pandemic to keep them company at home,” she recalls.
Another highlight of Elizabeth’s tenure has been expanding the theatre’s community out with the immediate region, through a mix of collaborations and touring.
And under her leadership, the theatre has gone from offering a summer season and the annual Winter Words festival, to adding a festive offering, a writer’s room and an artist development programme.
It’s some legacy to leave behind. So what does she think is her secret ingredient, the special sauce that she’s brought to Pitlochry as an artistic director?
Newman found love for directing after illness
“Clarity,” she says after a moment’s thought. “For me, it’s all about asking: Is it clear what’s actually going on? Is an actor’s intention reflected in the picture the audience is seeing?”
What’s crystal clear to see is that when it comes to directing, Elizabeth still loves it as much now as she did when she began as a teenager, after a life-altering illness put an end to her burgeoning career as a dancer.
“It sounds sad when you say it, but I’m not sad about it,” she smile. “When I was younger, before being ill, I was a dancer. And for me, dancing was like flying.
“When I got ill, I couldn’t do that anymore. But what I worked out was that I may not be able to fly myself, but I could help others to fly. And that, for me, is what directing is.”
Advice for incomer Alan Cumming?
Taking the reins from Elizabeth is well-respected Perthshire-born actor Alan Cumming, who responded to a general recruitment call-out with a surprise approach, and who has called his appointment “a homecoming”.
“It is fantastic news that Alan Cumming has been appointed,” says Elizabeth.
“He’s a great artist and leader. And I have no doubt that he’s going to ensure the next chapter of the theatre’s journey is vibrant, interesting, and truly inspirational. The future looks very bright with Alan joining the team.”
Does she have any words of advice for her successor?
“I think with every tenure there’s new challenges. Sometimes you can see them, and sometimes you can’t,” Elizabeth responds candidly.
“In some ways, all artistic directors are faced with the same challenge: How do you get enough people to come to keep the show on the road? That’s not a new challenge, and it’s never going to change.
“But during my tenure, we’ve had a pandemic, a cost of living crisis, constant changes in leadership in government… you’ve just got to roll with the punches.
“Since the beginning of time, humans have needed to tell stories. Whether to warn each other of danger, to entertain each other on those cold nights, or to make sense of the world. Nothing will change that.
“When in doubt, smile, take a deep breath, and just keep moving forward.”
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