PRESS RELEASE
Scots Opera Project return to Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Explorers Garden for a double bill of Operatic bliss
- Scots Opera Project to stage double-bill of the Celtic folk opera The Seal-Woman and a Scots Language version of Charpentier’s chamber opera Actéon.
- The Seal-Woman runs from 28 August – 14 September and Actéon from 30 August – 13 September
- Productions will be performed in Pitlochry Festival’s Explorers Garden and its amphitheatre
After last year’s successful run of the Scots language version of the opera Dido and Aeneas, the award-winning Scots Opera Project are set to make a welcome return to Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s beautiful Explorers Garden when they will stage between 28 August and 14 September an exciting double bill of the Celtic folk opera The Seal-Woman and a Scots Language version of Charpentier’s chamber opera Actéon.
On an uninhabited islet in the Western Isles of the Scottish Hebrides, an old crone or ‘Cailleach’ sings of local legends of seals that turn into mortal women. The voices of a Seal-Woman and her Seal-Sister are heard in the distance. Fishermen approach the island. The Islesman recalls a Seal-Woman he has seen before, and when she and her sister appear he keeps hold of their sea-robes, without which they cannot reassume their marine form and will only return those of the sister.
The Seal-Woman which was first performed in 1924 is based on the folk legend of the mythical Selkie and is inspired and created from songs of the Scottish Hebrides.
The Seal-Woman features some well-known Scottish favourites such as An Eriskay Love Lilt, The Seal Woman’s Sea Joy and Sea Sounds, making this the perfect opera for newcomers and seasoned opera goers alike.
Experience an enchanting reimagining of Charpentier’s Actéon in the breathtaking surroundings of the Explorers Gardens at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Performed in a Scots translation, this promenade garden production invites audiences to journey through the mythic tale of Actéon, the hunter who becomes the hunted, set against the lush natural beauty of the garden.
With a unique musical soundscape featuring clarsach and violin accompaniment, this intimate and immersive performance breathes new life into the Baroque masterpiece.
David Douglas of Scots Opera Project said,
“We are absolutely delighted to be returning to Pitlochry Festival Theatre this year with not one, but two very special productions, The Seal-Woman, recently nominated in the Rediscovered Work category at the 2025 International Opera Awards, is a gem of an opera that deserves to be heard far and wide—and there’s no better place to share it than the beautiful outdoor amphitheatre at Pitlochry. We’re also thrilled to present Actéon in a new Scots language translation, as a promenade garden opera that invites audiences into a rich, sensory experience of nature and music. These works speak to our cultural heritage and offer something truly distinctive to audiences—we can’t wait to share them.”
Both productions will be performed by former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competitor mezzo-soprano, Sioned Gwen Davies; Ayrshire tenor, David Douglas; Perthshire soprano Colleen Nicoll; Austrian Mezzo-Soprano, Ulrike Wutscher and completing the cast will be former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist Baritone Colin Murray.
The Scots Opera Project is an award-nominated opera company, known for its bold reimaginings and commitment to presenting opera through the lens of Scottish culture and language.
Tickets and further information about The Seal-Woman and Actéon are now available from the Box Office on 01796 484626 or online at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com.
-Ends-
For all press interviews and review tickets please contact
Duncan Clarke PR : T 078808930 or E : duncan@duncanclarkepr.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
Press performance:
The Seal-Woman – Press are welcome to attend any performance from Thursday 28 August
Actéon – Press are welcome to attend any performance from Saturday 30 August
The Seal-Woman
Creatives
Composer – Granville Bantock
Composer/Libretto – Marjory Kennedy Fraser
Director/Producer – David Douglas
Musical Director – Andrew Johnston
Chorus Master – Colleen Nicoll
Chorus Arrangements – Andrew Johnston
Cast
The Cailleach – Ulrike Wutscher
The Seal-Woman – Sioned Gwen Davies
The Seal-Sister – Colleen Nicoll
The Islesman – David Douglas
Fisherman/Water-Kelpie – Colin Murray
Musicians
Pianist – Andrew Johnston
Harpist – Esther Swift
Violinist – Claire Telford
Actéon
Creatives
Composer – Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Director – David Douglas
Musical Director / Clarsach – Esther Swift
Violin – Claire Telford
Scots Language Translation – Christopher Waddell
Cast
Actéon – David Douglas
Diane – Colleen Nicoll
Juno – Colin Murray
Daphne – Sioned Gwen Davies
Hyale – Ulrike Wutscher
Listings:
Venue: Amphitheatre
The Seal-Woman
August: 28 & 29
September: 4,5,7,11 & 12
Mat perf at 1pm:
August: 31
September: 7 & 14
Venue: Explorers Garden
Actéon
Eve perf at 5pm:
August: 30
September: 6 & 13
Mat perf at 1pm:
August: 30
September: 6 & 13
Ticket prices: From £15
Box Office and group bookings: 01796 484626
email boxoffice@pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Website: pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Address: Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Port-Na-Craig, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5DR
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 purpose 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, and trusts and foundations who support us; without their generosity we could not continue to produce exceptional theatre.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre is a registered Scottish Charity. No SC013055
Pitlochry Festival Theatre gratefully acknowledges support from:
Scots Opera Project
The Scots Opera Project is an award-nominated opera company, known for its bold reimaginings and commitment to presenting opera through the lens of Scottish culture and language. The company has appeared live on BBC Radio Scotland’s Classics Unwrapped and STV’s The Riverside Show. In 2019, it was nominated for both a Scots Language Award and a Scottish Gaelic Award in the Arts and Culture category for Dido and Aeneas.
In September 2022, the company gave the Scottish premiere of Granville Bantock and Marjory Kennedy-Fraser’s The Seal-Woman. This landmark production was nominated for a prestigious International Opera Award in the Rediscovered Work category in 2024.
In 2023, the company staged a highly acclaimed co-production of Dido and Aeneas at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and earlier that year, presented a vibrant adaptation of The Magic Flute as part of Perth Festival of the Arts, bringing accessible and imaginative opera to new audiences across Scotland.