Alan Cumming: ‘I am the Pied Piper of Pitlochry’

He is known for TV shows such as The Traitors US, The Good Wife or Schmigadoon.

But it was another show altogether that brought actor Alan Cumming back to his roots in Highland Perthshire to start a new chapter in his life – Running Pitlochry Utsav Theater,

“I was filming an episode of Channel 4’s All Aboard Scotland’s Poshest Trains, and we came into the theater and talked to Elizabeth Newman about the work she was doing and afterwards, she asked if I’d ever been to the theatre. Have thought about running,” he said. Let’s remember.

In 2024, filming for traitors And two film projects meant even more time in Scotland, so when Elizabeth Newman resigned in July, he quietly applied for the job.

Although Allen grew up a few miles away in Aberfeldy, his work on Broadway and in film and television long ago took him to New York, where he lives with his husband, Grant Schaefer.

In the last decade, he has come here more and more often thanks to TV work such as hosting Traitor American version And shows like burn, macbeth and The Bacchae with the National Theater of Scotland.

“I’ve been living here part-time for years and in recent years have been trying to divide my time more evenly between Scotland and New York,” he says.

“I was very honest with the recruiting people about what I could offer. I have other things going on, but I can do a lot remotely.

“What really excited me was the theatre’s mantra of “sharing Pitlochry with the world and the world with Pitlochry”.

“I thought I could do this. I’m from here. I can go out into the world and bring the world back here.”

The news came as a big surprise and Cumming insisted that the announcement be made before the Emmy Awards, for which he and the rest of the team involved in Traitors Won Outstanding Reality Competition Program,

Clad in his trademark tartan plaid, he was able to bring the world’s attention to Pitlochry, giving him hope that his appointment would continue.

“I know I have experience, I’m quite talented, and I know a lot of people but being famous is also important. It helps raise the profile, and it will help raise money.”

such as the appointment of Nicola Benedetti as director Edinburgh International FestivalIt also gives the theater and the wider theater community a stronger voice when it comes to advocacy.

Like Benedetti, he plans to have his own platform presence, as well as continuing his own projects.

His first season won’t be announced until later this year, but he’s already in the news, and says he hopes to “join or direct the show every season.”

three days winter word festival Which they have programmed from February 21, it shows what is going to happen in 2026.

Liz Lochhead, Douglas Stuart and Andrew O’Hagan are among those taking part, in a line that links the known and the unknown.

“There are some big bold names and new and more diverse and slightly offbeat things going on. That’s my ethos for the first season in microcosm.

“Theatre is entertaining but it’s also challenging and stimulating. We’ll have musicals, but they might be ones you don’t know. We might even have Shakespeare and the classics.

“It’s exciting for me because I want to do the things I love but also bring in new people. I’m like the Pied Piper of Pitlochry.”

Having made the leap from Highland Perthshire to Broadway, he’s confident he can do the same with the show he’s created.

“One of the things I was asked was what I hoped people would think about my tenure here.

“I hope they had fun there and enjoyed the experience of being there, but I also hope they think wasn’t it amazing that we saw that show at Pitlochry and then it went to Broadway Gone. And why not?”

His “to do” list since officially starting work last week includes getting to know the staff and consulting with the community.

He wants the town and the wider community of Highland Perthshire to make better use of theater – and not just for plays.

Cumming takes the example of the Tron Theater in Glasgow, where He and Forbes Mason regularly performed as drama students,

“We have lost the sense of cinemas being a community hub, where people can talk, drink and gather.”

Sitting in the theater café, watching Ben-y-Wracky, there’s no need for the digital presentation he’s created for curious Americans – but he’s ready to spread the word.

“People are very excited to be here,” he enthuses.

“A big part of the charm of Pitlochry is the setting.

“This is a magical bubble that I want to share with the world.”