The award-winning Pitlochry Festival Theatre has been crowned the most welcoming in Scotland, beating competition from some of the country’s best-known venues.
UK Theatre, the umbrella group for stage producers and companies throughout the UK, revealed the Highland Perthshire establishment was one of 12 regional winners in the nationwide My Theatre Matters competition.
After three weeks of public voting, PFT was announced as the Scottish winner in the Most Welcoming Theatre Awards 2015.
This year was the first time PFT was eligible to enter. Of the 256 UK theatres which entered the competition, 18 were from Scotland, including Dundee Rep, the Royal Lyceum and His Majesty’s in Aberdeen.
The chief executive at Pitlochry, John Durnin, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win this title on the first attempt. We have always prided ourselves on the exceptionally high standard of work that appears on our stage, but it is wonderful to see the warm Highland welcome with which are audiences are greeted acknowledged in this way.
“The fact that these awards are decided by audience members themselves makes it all the more special and it has been a little humbling to discover quite how much they appreciate the unique experience which the Theatre in the Hills provides.”
The festival theatre will next go head to head with 11 other finalists to fight it out for the UK-wide award. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on October 18.
UK Theatre president Rachel Tackley said the contest had drawn “tremendous” support.