Page 125 - Through a glass brightly

Many is the day when I have left work at 4 PM (using flexitime!) zoomed up the A9, had a lovely meal overlooking the Tummel, gone to the theatre and then driven home. When work really was getting on top of me I would take a day off, go up to Pitlochry, climb Ben y Vrackie, change in the ladies loo and then go to the theatre. By the time I got home, I felt I had been away for several days!
I could go on waxing lyrical about Pitlochry but it is the theatre which is so attractive. A huge window from the foyer and restaurant look out and up onto Ben y Vrackie. The theatre seats 634 people and puts on seven plays a year of which two are mainstream serious, two tend to be book adaptations which I never feel are very successful, two are light-hearted (but cover the genre like Noel Coward, or 1930s for example, which I wouldn’t see elsewhere) and one is a musical which makes the money to run the theatre! They concentrate delightfully on Scottish playrights such as Bridie, Barrie, John McGrath, Liz Lochhead etc. They also have book festivals and something light-hearted on Sunday evenings. They are the sort of theatre which puts on six plays in six days so my friend and I often book a large along the River Tay and do the whole season at once. They have just got a £10 million grant from the Scottish government to develop second auditorium.
Enough! The whole point is that they have a prize every year for the best actor in a supporting role. And the prize was donated by Leon Sinden. I have always assumed that he was Donald’s brother but now I think about it I think he must have been a nephew or son. he died recently. This The best actor is chosen by the audience and, of course, it is always the subject of much discussion towards the end of the season. We always try to go to the last performance of the season when all the prizes given out. And ALWAYS I remember the day when Donald Sinden came to school. I agree with Val - he was absolutely hilarious. Along with the other experiences that I have written about elsewhere I fell in love with the theatre. We do have five in Glasgow including the infamous (?) Citz but it is Pitlochry where I feel most at home.
That was just supposed to be a quickie!
From Jenny at 14.15
Just to say that my husband Richard and I spent a holiday in Pitlochry - staying in a lovely hotel in an attractive setting just outside the centre of the town - can't remember the name (might have been 'Green something' but I may be dreaming) in the late 90s I suspect and we went to the theatre several times during the week. It was absolutely wonderful and the weather was glorious so in the daytime we did the touristy things like going to Balmoral etc.
From Janet at 20.20
Hope you have all had a good day! I went out this morning and there is definitely more traffic about and I even hearda police siren on the main road - something not heard for some time!
Glenda - I have visited Pitlochry in the past, one time at a snail's pace in a traffic jam! But it is I agree a lovely little town surrounded by some beautiful scenery. Typical grey rather high Victorian buildings in the centre but full of interesting littleshops. It was in fact the only cashpoint way back for TSB after we had left Oban! I do hope that I will have the opportunity to go again. And how great just to be able to hop into a car and drive up there. Theatres like the one there are so importantto local communities as sometimes they are the only form of live entertainment for many miles around.
A few years ago now we had a good holiday with Brightwater Tours - it was either Outer Hebrides or Classic Scottish Steam -
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