Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director, Alan Cumming has announced his highly anticipated inaugural season of exciting programming for 2026, which will coincide with the 75^th anniversary of the celebrated Scottish Highland Theatre.

The Season 2026 will feature a programme of creatively bold and inventive productions, featuring amongst others, world premières, Scottish and UK premières, revivals of musicals and plays, a visiting production and two exciting festivals.

Throughout the season, the theatre will welcome an incredible line up of Scottish, British and internationally renowned award–winning talent to the Scottish Highlands for what promises to be a theatrical highlight for Scotland in 2026.

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The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Foyle Foundation joined by leading actors, launched the RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, a revolutionary new way of studying Shakespeare using the latest learning technology and innovation. 

The Shakespeare Curriculum is the most important development in the teaching of Shakespeare in a generation and will radically change how Shakespeare is studied and taught in secondary schools across the UK and around the world. It responds to ongoing concerns from teachers and young people about the way in which Shakespeare is experienced by many in school, with the aim for 80% of all UK secondary schools to use the Shakespeare Curriculum by the academic year 2029/30.

The first resource of its kind and free to use for all state and SEND secondary schools, it distils the RSC’s award-winning teaching approaches into a digital platform that has everything teachers and students need to teach and learn about Shakespeare, immersing them in the creative world of an RSC rehearsal room. Grounded in the techniques used by actors and directors, the Shakespeare Curriculum takes students beyond their desks, unlocking language, character and themes and fostering vital skills for school, life and work.  The RSC Shakespeare Curriculum has been created with major investment from the Foyle Foundation as one of the key projects recently announced for the long-term legacy of the foundation.

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The Old Vic is delighted to announce One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Dale Wasserman, based on the novel by Ken Kesey, starring Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge, Mufasa: The Lion King) as Randle P. McMurphy and Giles Terera (Hamilton, Othello) as Dale Harding. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, directed by Clint Dyer (Death of England, Othello), is at The Old Vic from 01 Apr–23 May 2026, with a press performance on Wed 15 Apr.

Director Clint Dyer said, ‘It feels such an honour, and the perfect time to place this wonderful play, based on the counterculture novel by Ken Kesey, back into the discourse. In directing this great play, I hope to hold more closely its original conversation on colonialism and identity from the novel, whilst maintaining its sense of mischief, anarchy and pathos.’

In Artistic Director Matthew Warchus’ final Season all productions will take place completely In The Round, forming an intimate seating configuration that surrounds the stage.

Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director of The Old Vic said, ‘I’m delighted to be welcoming the brilliant Clint Dyer to be a part of this In The Round Season at The Old Vic. We can’t wait to share his exciting new take on this iconic story.’

Tickets for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest go on sale to members on Wed 12 Nov at midday GMT and on general sale on Fri 14 Nov at midday.

Celebrating the release of her new single “Mature,” multiplatinum global superstar Hilary Duff will return to the stage for the first time in over a decade with a very special run of intimate live shows in January 2026. The “Small Rooms, Big Nerves” dates kick off January 19 at London’s historic O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, followed by stops at HISTORY in Toronto, ON (January 24), New York City’s brand new Brooklyn Paramount (January 27), and Los Angeles’ iconic Wiltern (January 29).

Fans can sign up for the artist presale now HERE untilWednesday, November 12th at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm GMT. No codes are needed (access is tied to the fan’s Ticketmaster account) and anyone who signs up can join the sale. The artist presale begins on Friday, November 14^th at 10am local time. General on sale begins Friday, November 14^th at 3pm local time HERE and via LiveNation.co.uk

“It’s happening,” says Hilary. “I’m over the moon to be stepping on stage again. I’ve got some new songs that I can’t wait to share with you and of course some old favorites we can scream together. It’s been a minute and I’ve missed you. Let’s make some mems.”

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Record-breaking comedian Matt Rife announced an extension of his highly successful Stay Golden World Tour, with a run of 40+ new dates playing off next year across North America, Europe and the UK. These add to his previously announced shows across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Canada. The run of new shows, produced by Live Nation, kick off on Saturday 28^th February in Newark, NJ at Prudential Center, before continuing with shows in Washington, DC, Tampa, Louisville, Amsterdam, Dublin, London, Manchester, Glasgow,  Rome, Los Angeles, Nashville, Chicago, Toronto and more before wrapping up on Tuesday 29^th December in Oklahoma City, OK at Paycom Center.

In select markets, Rife will introduce a new 360° in-the-round stage design, giving fans a completely immersive experience. With the addition of these shows, Matt will be heading to 10+ countries next year with a total of 60+ shows.

The 2026 leg follows this year’s Stay Golden Tour, which saw Rife play shows across San Diego, Austin, Philadelphia, and more — including two sold-out nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, making him the youngest comedian to sell out the venue. Rife has shattered multiple venue records across the country on this tour, including the most single-event tickets ever sold at both Columbus’ Nationwide Arena and Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, as well as the all-time ticket sales record at Manchester’s SNHU Arena and the paid seat record for the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI. He also set a new benchmark at Anaheim’s Honda Center, breaking the record for most tickets sold by a comedian in the venue’s history.
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To make the unforgiving journey from a place you once called home in pursuit of sanctuary – drifting thousands of miles across territories to face hostility on the other side – is a harrowing reality for millions of refugees worldwide. A defining issue of the current day, migration continues to shape conversation, driving debate on how best to approach the complexities of this on going reality. In response to the division sewn, directors Lorena Ares and Carlos Fernandez de Vigo present short animated film Cafunè, an exploration of the enduring trauma experienced by refugee children. It follows Alma, a young girl haunted by the devastating impact of a shipwreck where she was the sole survivor. The traumatic cycle repeats as her doll falls into a swimming pool – a dark reminder of the pain endured. A recipient of the Goya Award – the highest honour within Spanish cinema, as well as recently becoming Oscars 2026 qualified, Lorena and Carlos tell us more about exploring the film’s timely topic further, what they’ve learned from creating the film and what audiences can expect.

Hi Carlos and Lorena, your short film Cafune has recently become Oscar 2026 qualified. How are you feeling? Continue reading

Seven-time GRAMMY-nominee and multi-platinum R&B star Givēon announces the UK and Europe dates of his Dear Beloved Tour after selling out Madison Square Garden and concluding his North American run.

Seven-time GRAMMY® nominated R&B superstar Givēon has announced his brand-new headline tour, Dear Beloved, The Tour, is coming to the UK and Europe in March 2026. The announcement follows Thursday’s grand finale show for his USA leg of Dear Beloved, The Tour at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden.

The tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off in Stockholm on Friday March 6, making stops in Oslo, Berlin, Paris, London’s iconic O2 Arena and Manchester before concluding at Zurich’s The Hall on Thursday March 26. The tour will feature special guests Sasha Keable and Baby Rose.  Tickets go on sale Friday November 14, 9am GMT.

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For the first time ever, many of London’s buskers have been left with nowhere to perform during the city’s busiest festive period, putting livelihoods at risk.

This week, the Trafalgar Square busking pitch has been closed to make way for the annual Christmas Market, with the closure set to remain until Wednesday 7 January 2026. This follows a City of London Magistrates Court ruling earlier this year that banned busking in Leicester Square, making this the first year both key pitches have been unavailable to musicians reliant on them as part of their income.

Following a City of London Magistrates Court ruling earlier this year that banned busking in Leicester Square, buskers have expressed their despair at the ruling, citing loss of earnings and the potential long lasting effect it could have on the industry. After describing it as a “statutory nuisance” and even comparing it to “psychological torture techniques”, performers have been left with limited viable options across Westminster.

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Five-time GRAMMY, Tony and EMMY-nominated singer, songwriter and actor Josh Groban announces his return to the UK for a special one-off gig at London’s The O2 on1 April 2026 – his biggest ever UK show. One of the most outstanding and instantly recognisable voices in music, next year’s show will be the international superstar’s first full-scale UK show in six years, last playing Hyde Park with Celine Dion in 2019.

Tickets for Josh Groban at the O2 go on general sale on Friday, 7 November. Sign up to the exclusive pre-sale here.

Fresh off a five-night Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum in May this year, Josh continues to captivate fans worldwide. Earlier this month, he played a very special intimate live show at London’s Union Chapel, giving fans a taster of what’s to come ahead of his UK arena return in 2026.

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Compere Francesca Mepham

An icon of stage and screen, immortalised for his ability to truly connect with language worked with, Welsh legend Richard Burton – born on the 10th November 1925 would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Set to follow in the footsteps of Laurence Olivier, Burton’s tumultuous path would become synonymous with his body of work, to a point overshadowing it – his high profile marriages to Elizabeth Taylor and his battle with addiction elements of fame contended with. Embodying a resonance made for the stage, wrestling with the rich and complex nature of Shakespeare’s verse – Burton very quickly marked himself apart from the rest as a true master of performance.

Prior to his much documented career in Entertainment, he served as Aircraftman in the RAF for 3 years. A student of Exeter College, University of Cambridge, he studied English – this is where he’d also develop his love for the stage, starring in various productions hosted by the Oxford University Dramatic Society. In celebration of Burton’s centenary, the Centenary Projects Poets Squad will start off a double-billed evening at the Ye Olde Rose and Crown pub theatre on Saturday 8th November reciting poems which currently form part of an anthology titled Poems for Rich, published by SJH Media UK, available to purchase here.

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