Out in the Hills festival brings Ian McKellen, Graham Norton and Alan Cumming to Pitlochry

The inaugural Out in the Hills festival at Pitlochry Festival Theatre featured Sir Ian McKellen in a rehearsed reading and a conversation between Alan Cumming and Graham Norton.

The new Out in the Hills festival opened at Pitlochry Festival Theatre as a three-day LGBTQ+ programme put in place by new artistic director Alan Cumming and programmed by Lewis Hetherington. The event combined talks, scratch performances and workshops and aimed to bring a lively social atmosphere to the venue before the main season began. Audiences gathered for a mix of performances, conversations and community events across the weekend. Known details: - Sir Ian McKellen gave a rehearsed reading of Equinox, a new monologue by Laurie Slade, in which he performed the role of an elderly man named Ed. The piece was directed by Sean Mathias. - The festival included a Queer As Folk! ceilidh led by the Malin Lewis Trio and other community events described as buzzy and well attended. - A range of programme items were noted, from a conversation between Alan Cumming and Graham Norton to lighter attractions described in coverage as “kilted yoga” and appearances by local personalities such as Coinneach MacLeod (the Hebridean Baker). - Audience reaction was described as enthusiastic, and public remarks at events included opposition to conversion therapy alongside humorous conversation about television careers and guests. Summary: The weekend brought well-known performers and a mix of social and stage events to a rural Scottish theatre, aiming to foreground LGBTQ+ work in the venue’s pre-season. Undetermined at this time.