Thank you for your interest in becoming a Trustee of Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
This is a great time to be joining the Theatre, with exciting opportunities to impact the future success of an important cultural and economic asset.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre occupies a special place in the Scottish theatre world and is unusual within the UK. It is the largest, building based producing theatre in Scotland. Prior to the Covid pandemic, we attracted c.100,000 visitors annually to our productions, botanical garden, café-bar, restaurant, and retail shop. The Theatre is also one of the region’s largest employers, generating significant economic returns for the local economy each year and attracting tens of thousands of people to Highland Perthshire.
Our impact however increasingly stretches far beyond Scotland, as we seek to take works developed in Perthshire on tour around the UK and co-produce work with other British theatres. It is my hope that in the years ahead we will start to look beyond these shores. “Improving lives by sharing sharing Pitlochry with the world and the world with Pitlochry” is not an empty phrase but is at the heart of our ambition.
The Theatre is currently engaged in a £20m+ creative and capital redevelopment project. Known as the VISION Project, this is a once-in-a-generation project for the Theatre. No other cultural organisation in Scotland is attempting to deliver such a transformative project with such significant regional and national impacts. The first part of the project, the creation of an exciting 170-seat Studio theatre to complement our main auditorium, was opened in 2022. This year we are reglazing the building to improve our carbon footprint, on our path to net zero. Other parts of the project will be delivered in the coming years.
Our Board of Trustees is highly engaged and brings a wide range of expertise. We are ambitious for the organisation and recognise that it cannot reach its full potential without the very best board we can attract. Consequently we are currently looking to strengthen our Board of Trustees and enhance our depth and breadth of experience. We place diversity at the centre of the organisation and are keen to hear from new voices.
I feel proud to be Chair of Pitlochry Festival Theatre. As a Trustee, supporting and challenging our executives and leadership team to make brilliant things happen and sharing the enthusiasm of audiences and participants alike, is a hugely rewarding experience.
I hope you will feel inspired to join us on our journey!
Crawford Gillies,
Chair of Pitlochry Festival Theatre