‘I love that there’s this big gay thing in the middle of Scotland’: Ian McKellen and Graham Norton join Alan Cumming for Out in the Hills
New LGBTQ+ festival included McKellen in a fiery monologue and Norton in conversation, as well as a queer ceilidh and ‘kilted yoga’Sir Ian McKellen is on stage blowing up a red balloon. For a man of 86, he has impressive lung capacity. He lets it go and watches it take a satisfyingly theatrical...
<p>New LGBTQ+ festival included McKellen in a fiery monologue and Norton in conversation, as well as a queer ceilidh and ‘kilted yoga’</p><p>Sir Ian McKellen is on stage blowing up a red balloon. For a man of 86, he has impressive lung capacity. He lets it go and watches it take a satisfyingly theatrical trajectory, rising to a height, then plummeting. “Free the spirit,” he says, in character as Ed, an elderly gay man searching for release.</p><p>There was a lot of spirit-freeing over the weekend at <a href="https://www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/">Pitlochry Festival theatre</a>. In a bold pre-season move by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/sep/13/alan-cumming-named-as-artistic-director-pitlochry-festival-theatre-scotland">new artistic director Alan Cumming</a>, the UK’s most idyllic venue launched its first LGBTQ+ festival in an atmosphere of exuberance. Programmed by Lewis Hetherington, Out in the Hills was a three-day compendium of talks, scratch performances and workshops that turned a sedate theatre into a buzzy social hive.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jan/19/i-love-that-theres-this-big-gay-thing-in-the-middle-of-scotland-ian-mckellen-and-graham-norton-join-alan-cumming-for-out-in-the-hills">Continue reading...</a>
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