Actor and director Alan Cumming has praised the "extraordinary" atmosphere of Scotland's first Out In The Hills Festival, a three-day celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture that concluded on Sunday at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Perth and Kinross.
The inaugural festival brought together prominent figures including Sir Ian McKellen, crime writer Val McDermid, screenwriter Russell T Davies, and broadcaster Graham Norton. The event featured theatre performances, music, film, and dancing.
Cumming, who serves as artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre and hosts The Traitors US, described the festival as fulfilling his core mission. «I feel my mission as artistic director is to bring people together,» he said. «This festival has exemplified everything I could hope for as an artist and a Scot.»
Atmosphere and Impact
The actor emphasized the festival's emotional resonance with attendees. «The atmosphere in the building has been extraordinary – the love, inclusion, respect and joy have been unsurpassed,» Cumming stated.
Among the festival's highlights were Sir Ian McKellen performing in a rehearsed reading of "Equinox," Cumming interviewing Graham Norton, and Russell T Davies discussing novelist Jackie Kay's book "Red Dust Road" with her. Scotland's first openly gay footballer, Zander Smith, also spoke on a panel.
Cumming stressed that the festival's success extended beyond ticket sales. «The festival's success, not only in ticket sales but, more importantly, in how it has made people feel supported and seen, underlines the importance of our work at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and signals a hopeful way forward for Scotland,» he said.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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