As Pitlochry Festival Theatre launches its programme for the 2023 summer season, The Courier caught up with artistic director Elizabeth Newman to find out what’s in store for audiences this year.
The theatre is looking forward to a return to business as usual, as Elizabeth explains: “The past few years have been challenging for everyone. I think Covid changed lots of things for lots of people.
“However, as we enter our 2023 Summer Season, we feel hopeful that we are making productions that audiences can really get excited about and enjoy when they come to visit.”
Outdoor options
For anyone who feels anxious or reluctant about coming into the theatre there are plenty of options available. “We are still producing work outside,” she says. “This year we have The Secret Garden and Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Lipstick, Ketchup and Blood, both being performed outdoors in the Amphitheatre. And we still produce work online on our Sound Stage platform so there’s still lots of ways people can engage with us.”
Elizabeth began working on the 2023 offering 18 months ago; “We need to plan this far in advance to make sure we can commission the work or get the rights and also build partnerships with other theatres to share the work further afield,” she explains.
Among the well-known offerings this summer will be; “the much-loved musical Gypsy, Tennessee Williams’s masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire, an exciting adaptation, written especially for Pitlochry Festival Theatre, of the children’s tale The Secret Garden, a wonderful adaptation for the theatre by River City actress Lesley Hart of Sherlock Holmes and the Scottish premiere of Emma Rice’s acclaimed stage adaptation of Noel Coward’s classic tale Brief Encounter.
On top of this, there is plenty of new work on offer: “We will premier To the Bone by Isla Cowan which has been written for Pitlochry with our Studio Theatre very much in mind so that’s great to watch being made.
“I am thrilled we are reviving The Maggie Wall as it was so successful in the Studio last year. And for the first time we are making two new plays with A Play, A Pie and A Pint in Glasgow.
“And lastly the new play we are set to make with Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre by the acclaimed Scottish playwright Peter Arnott – Group Portrait in a Summer Landscape – which is going to be a very big new play. A large-scale family drama which is very witty too.
Elizabeth herself has adapted The Secret Garden for the outdoor performance. “It’s a beautiful world to spend time in,” she enthuses. “The audience can expect a faithful adaptation to the book that brings to life the cherished characters with warmth and love.
“It celebrates growing to heal grief and bring people together which feels right for our location and making it in our Theatre’s Garden too.”
Ensemble still under wraps
The 2023 programme may be out, but the actors who will feature in ensemble are still a closely guarded secret: “We will be announcing the ensemble very soon and it’s a mix of old friends and new faces!” says Elizabeth.
“As well as a very exciting line up of theatre there will also be lots of concerts to see.”
Theatre fans can still see plays spread out over the five month season or indulge in six plays in six days.
Full programme details and booking information are available at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
