PRESS RELEASE
Alan Cumming to host fundraising event for Pitlochry Festival Theatre with Off the Ball’s Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove
Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Alan Cumming is set to host a fundraising event for the Theatre on Sunday 28 September, when he spends an entertaining evening in conversation with sports pundits Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove, celebrating over 30 years of Scotland’s best loved (and self-proclaimed worst informed) football radio show, BBC Radio Scotland’s Off the Ball.
Whether you are a football fan or a Theatre lover, join Alan as he delves into the history of this dynamic duo, and their unique style of football punditry which has brought joy each week to football fans across Scotland. The conversation will be followed by the chance for audience members to ask their own questions to Tam and Stuart.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Alan Cumming said:
“I am a huge fan of Off the Ball even though I know and have very little interest in football. I guested on the show once (and can’t wait to again, hint hint), and my big brother – who is a football nut and was I think rather jealous of my proximity to Scotland’s fitba royalty – said ‘you just giggled the whole time’. And he was right. Tam and Stuart are hilarious, irreverent, and even just the timbre of their voices and their vocabulary make me howl with laughter and I could listen to them all day. This fundraiser is a beautiful gesture by them to support me and my plans for my first season of work at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and a great chance for everyone who loves football and comedy to witness, in the flesh, these petty and ill-informed football titans!”
Tam Cowan added:
“I first suggested doing this fundraiser for the theatre when Alan Cumming was appointed Artistic Director as he’s been a great friend of Off the Ball with numerous plugs for the programme on both sides of the Atlantic. Me and Stuart appreciate the support (it’s not every day a James Bond baddie praises your work!) and, to reciprocate, I thought the least we could do was put on a wee freebie at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, just a few miles from where Stuart was born and bred. We’re really looking forward to a no-holds-barred petty & ill-informed evening of stories, jokes and memories – and we might even spill a few Off the Ball secrets for the punters who donate a few quid extra by splashing out on a VIP meet ‘n’ greet ticket…”
An Evening with Off the Ball’s Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove is scheduled as the first in a series of In Conversation fundraising events to be held at the Theatre over the next year. These events will bring in much needed funds for the Theatre, a charity, which produces work here in Pitlochry at its on-site workshop and rehearsal rooms. The funds from the evening will go to support the Theatre’s 2026 programme, which will be Alan Cumming’s first season of programming as Artistic Director, as well as the Theatre’s 75th Anniversary Season. Further In Conversation events will be announced in the coming months.
General tickets for the fundraising event cost £25. VIP Meet and Greet packages are also available, allowing audiences members the opportunity to enjoy nibbles and drinks whilst chatting with Tam, Stuart, and Alan.
An Evening with Off the Ball’s Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove will be on Sunday 28 September at 7pm at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Tickets are available from the box office on 01796 484626 or online at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
To find out more about supporting Pitlochry Festival Theatre visit pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/support-us/
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Venue: Auditorium
Date: Sunday 28 September 2025
Timings: 7pm (meet and greet starts from 6pm)
Ticket prices: £25 (standard ticket) / £50 (VIP meet and greet)
Age restriction: 16+ (due to potential content)
Box Office and group bookings: 01796 484626
email boxoffice@pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Website: pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Pitlochry Festival Theatre. A Theatre for Everyone. A Theatre for a Lifetime.
Since 1951, Pitlochry Festival Theatre has been the artistic heart and soul of Highland Perthshire. Attracting over 100,000 visitors every year, we’re more than simply a place to come and see a show – we’re Scotland’s leading producer of musical theatre, a champion of ensemble practice and the country’s only rurally-located, major arts organisation. Our vision is to improve lives by sharing Pitlochry with the world and the world with Pitlochry. Our aim is to create life-enhancing experiences in our Theatre and its glorious eleven-acre campus that encompasses the magical Explorers Garden. In everything we do, we are committed to nurturing an exciting creative and cultural future for Scotland.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre is a charity supported by funding from Creative Scotland and Perth & Kinross Council. It is also grateful to the many individual donors, trusts and foundations who continue to support the Theatre in its vision.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Address: Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Port Na Craig, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5DR
Box Office and group bookings: boxoffice@pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Website: pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Pitlochry Festival Theatre is a registered Scottish Charity. No SC013055
Pitlochry Festival Theatre gratefully acknowledges support from:
Stuart Cosgrove
A lifelong Saint Johnstone supporter, Stuart was born in Letham in Perth. He is the more erudite and highbrow half of the Off the Ball show. He is a Doctor of English from the University of Hull, has studied at Harvard and has four honorary doctorates and professorships across the UK.
In his distinguished past Professor Cosgrove worked for the NME and The Face magazine before joining Channel 4, where he still works as Director of Nations and Regions.
Tam Cowan
Brought up in Motherwell the young Tam showed potential as a comedy writer providing material for Radio 4’s Weekending show while still at school. He subsequently went on to pen sketches for, amongst others, Naked Radio and Little and Large.
He joined the Off the Ball programme in 1994 and soon formed an effortless partnership with Stuart Cosgrove.
Tam wrote for the Evening Times newspaper before moving to the Daily Record in 1998 – he’s there to this day. He has also presented on TV, most notably his Taxi For Cowan show and Offside, both of which have garnered RTS awards.