Firebrand Theatre Company To Become An Associate Company At Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Pitlochry Festival Theatre has announced that Scottish Borders based Firebrand is to become a new Associate Company. The relationship will launch with a rehearsed reading of Firebrand's original script A Journey With Nan Shepherd - LIVE at the Winter Words Festival at Pitlochry Festival Theatre on Saturday 11 February 2023 at 3pm.

Award-winning Firebrand, led by Creative Producer and Actor, Ellie Zeegen, former Dundee Rep and Pitlochry Festival Theatre Associate Director, Richard Baron, as Director of Productions, and Executive Director, Susan Taylor, had recent success with their critically acclaimed dramatised podcasts about writer and hillwalker Nan Shepherd, which featured on the Theatre's Sound Stage platform.

The company has established its reputation with inventive touring revivals of modern Scottish plays such as Iron, which featured the "world class" (Scotsman) performance of Blythe Duff, and international hits such as Grounded, of which The Times said, "Firebrand has the knack of discovering new plays destined to become contemporary classics."

Firebrand's debut production was at The Wynd Theatre, Melrose in 2010 and the company has always been proud of its southern Scotland roots and reflects this in its programming. In 2015 Firebrand celebrated the opening of the Borders Railway by staging The Great Train Race in the new Galashiels Station and in 2019 produced a hugely popular new biographical drama about Scottish rugby legend Bill McLaren in his home-town venue, Heart of Hawick.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre's Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman commented, "We are thrilled to announce Firebrand as Pitlochry Festival Theatre's first Associate Company. Over the coming months we will welcome two more Associate Companies to the Theatre, and we are very excited to build on our relationship with Firebrand Theatre Company and our longstanding relationship with Richard Baron. We successfully collaborated with Firebrand on our 2018 production of The Last Witch, and on the recent Nan Shepherd podcasts and we are delighted to share the news of our co-commission with Firebrand to produce a brand-new play in our 2024 studio season. It is exciting to form a working relationship with such a high quality, rural company enabling both organisations to add a refreshing new dynamic and range of ideas and possibilities for audiences.

Firebrand's Ellie Zeegen said, "We are thrilled to working with the world-class Theatre in the Hills. To produce some of our future work in partnership with Pitlochry Festival Theatre and explore the possibilities of its superb new studio space, is a tremendous opportunity to build our respective audiences and further Firebrand's founding ambition to make great, relevant, daring theatre in a rural environment before exporting it to the city and beyond."

Director Richard Baron is also excited by the prospect of continuing his strong links with the Theatre: "I have been lucky enough to have experienced many of my favourite theatre moments either watching plays on, or directing plays for, the Pitlochry stage and my recent productions there have been as varied and challenging as the musical Chicago or the wonderful Heritage by Nicola McCartney. It is hugely inspiring that in its bold programming choices Pitlochry's ambitions seem to know no bounds and, with its similarly pioneering spirit, Firebrand can't wait to join forces with Elizabeth Newman and her brilliant team to create some highly imaginative and truly memorable, world-class theatre."

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