Lead cast announced for the Scottish premiere of the musical ONCE

Pitlochry Festival Theatre is set to launch its 75th anniversary season and Alan Cumming’s first as Artistic Director, with the Scottish première of the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical Once, reuniting the original creative team behind the smash-hit Broadway and West End musical.

Directed by John Tiffany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Black Watch and Wild Rose), the uplifting and moving new production will run at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 23 May- 27 June.

Set in Dublin, the story follows Guy, a disillusioned street musician ready to leave his songs behind, and Girl, a spirited Czech immigrant who challenges him to believe in his talent. With the support of an unconventional group of friends and fellow musicians, they embark on creating an album together.

The musical, written by Enda Walsh with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, is based on John Carney’s 2007 film, which featured the Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly”. Premiering on Broadway in 2012, Once went on to win eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and subsequently ran in the West End from 2013-2015 where it won two Olivier awards for Best Actress in a Musical and Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound. Once is the only musical to have received an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Olivier Award, and a Tony Award. 

Playing the lead roles of Guy and Girl will be Dylan Wood and Lydia White. Dylan Wood’s credits include recently playing Orpheus in the West End production of the musical Hadestown, as well as appearing in No Love Songs (Dundee Rep); Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood (Watermill Theatre); Moorcroft (Tron Theatre) and Orphans (National Theatre Scotland). Lydia White’s Theatre credits includeThe Girl from the North Country and A Christmas Carol (both at The Old Vic); Matilda the Musical (West End); Whistle Down the Wind (The Watermill Theatre) and Rags (Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester). The remaining cast members will be announced in the coming months.

Joining John Tiffany from the original Tony award winning creative team are Designer Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins, Broadway and West End); Choreographer Steven Hoggett (Hamlet, Royal Shakespeare Company); Lighting Designer Natasha Katz (Aladdin, Broadway and West End); Music and Orchestration Director Martin Lowe (Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, National Theatre of Scotland); Sound Designer Clive Goodwin (The Glass Menagerie, Broadway). The production’s Casting Director is Stuart Burt CDG CSA.

Director John Tiffany said:

“I am thrilled that the Scottish  Première of Once will also open Alan Cumming’s inaugural season at Pitlochry Festival Theatre; both Once and Alan are very close to my heart. We first created Once in Cambridge, Massachusetts followed by productions on Broadway, in the West End and around the world. Bringing it to Scotland, the place which has inspired so much of my work, feels like bringing it home.”