Elizabeth Newman
in Adaptation, Devised Theatre, Edinburgh Festival and Fringe, New Writing, Playwrights, Political Theatre, Scottish Theatre
2nd April 2020
INTERVIEW: ELIZABETH NEWMAN. Elizabeth arrived at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 2018 after eight years at Bolton’s Octagon, five as associate director and three as artistic director. Now in her second season as artistic director of the self-styled “theatre in the hills”, she has increased the annual number of productions to nine, a figure in Scotland rivalling only that of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum. Not bad for a town with a population of less than 3000. She talks to Mark Fisher about opening doors to the local community, forging links with the Scottish theatre industry – and hitting a quota of 65% comedy. Recorded at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, 14 March 2020.
“Most of the time, our lives are comedies not tragedies. Even when bad things happen, when you look back on them on reflection, you can laugh at them. That is 60 to 65% of our life, which is why the programme should be 60 to 65% comedy. The 35% are the things that will always be a tragedy in our lives.”
