She is best known to audiences as one of the stars of hit television show Scot Squad.
But now Perth-born actress Sally Reid has returned to the theatre where she first performed as a dancer aged three to pursue her other passion – as a champion of Scottish artists and craftsmen and women.
With the latest series of the BBC1 documentary-style spoof about a fictional Scottish Police Force in the can, Sally has taken the helm of a pop-up shop in Perth Theatre, showcasing the work of independent designers.
The pilot project will run until the close of the Christmas pantomime Aladdin and she hopes to spend the time growing the idea so she can take it to other theatres, as well as showcasing items relating to the venue – such as plays and books.
Sally, who has starred on screen and stage for a number of years, was once a key part of the Perth Theatre ensemble.
During the down time between jobs – known in the trade as “resting” –she designs jewellery and indulges her passion for all things creative.
She has been running pop-up shops, featuring the work of Scottish artists, for the past five years.
In 2016, she took things to a new level when she ran a shop in Glasgow for six months, in partnership with Taggart star Blythe Duff, who starred alongside her in The James Plays with the National Theatre of Scotland.
Sally said: “Actors often have in-between jobs and for me this has always been shop work, including independent and jewellery shops.
“I started to make my own jewellery as a hobby in between acting work. When you have a creative flair you want to channel it.
“I started to do craft fairs and met other people like me. I used to do panto at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow and it was there that I first started a pop-up shop after getting in touch with some of the designers I’d met.”
She said the idea really took off when she paired up with Blythe Duff.
“We’d worked together and we share the same passion for design,” she said.
“The shop was really successful and I began to wonder how I could marry my two passions a little more closely.
“Being from Perth and knowing the theatre was reopening I pitched the idea to the team here and thankfully they were really up for it.
“A lot of museum’s and art galleries have their own shops, but it seems to be something that’s missing from our theatres – though their cafes often have great footfall,” she said.
“It is also really difficult for actors, directors and those with an interest in the theatre to access plays or books about the theatre and I’d like to add that to what’s on offer.”
Sally has had a busy end to 2017, with filming just wrapping on a new series of Scot Squad.
She is also starring in How To Disappear at The Traverse in Edinburgh and will be on stage again in March, this time in Rhinoceros at The Lyceum
