Alan Cumming praises ‘extraordinary’ arts festival
The artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre said it was his ‘mission’ to bring people together.
Actor and director Alan Cumming has praised the “extraordinary” atmosphere of the first Out In The Hills Festival, which has featured guests including actor Sir Ian McKellen, crime writer Val McDermid, screenwriter Russell T Davies and broadcaster Graham Norton.
Organised by the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Perth and Kinross, the three-day festival, which ends on Sunday, has included theatre, music, film and dancing.
It “celebrates all things LGBTQIA+”, according to organisers.
Performances included Sir Ian in Equinox, a rehearsed reading of the one-man play by Laurie Slade, and Cumming interviewing Graham Norton.
Television producer Russell T Davies, who worked on Doctor Who and Queer As Folk, talked to novelist Jackie Kay about her book Red Dust Road, and Scotland’s first openly gay footballer, Zander Smith, spoke on a panel.
Cumming, artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, who also hosts The Traitors US, said: “I feel my mission as artistic director is to bring people together. This festival has exemplified everything I could hope for as an artist and a Scot.
“The atmosphere in the building has been extraordinary – the love, inclusion, respect and joy have been unsurpassed.
“The festival’s success, not only in ticket sales but, more importantly, in how it has made people feel supported and seen, underlines the importance of our work at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and signals a hopeful way forward for Scotland.”
