Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Perthshire, Scotland. The idea of building a ‘theatre in the hills’ for the presentation of plays in repertory came to its founder, John Stewart, during a visit to the Malvern Festival before the Second World War; but it was not until 1951 that the first theatre at Pitlochry opened. A large marquee with a fan-shaped auditorium and a very wide proscenium opening, this theatre was so well designed that its features were retained in the more permanent structure built in 1953. A new purpose-built theatre on the south bank of the River Tummel opened in 1981. It has won several architectural awards and cleverly symbolizes Pitlochry's tented origins through the use of ‘king pole’ pillars reaching up to a vaulted ceiling in the foyer. A particularly striking feature is the window wall stretching almost the full width of the front-of-house area which affords the visitor a spectacular view of the river and hills. Pitlochry continues to present up to six plays in six days each summer, the season running from early May to the beginning of October. Sunday concerts, various foyer events, art exhibitions, and craft demonstrations augment the six-play repertoire.