PRESS RELEASE
A Pitlochry Festival Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre production
FOOTLOOSE
Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie
Based on the Original Screenplay by Dean Pitchford
Music by Tom Snow
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Additional Music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman
Footloose is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd.
Directed by Douglas Rintoul
Designed by Adrian Rees
First time Footloose has been produced by a professional Scottish theatre
Co-produced by Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the New Wolsey Theatre
Directed by the New Wolsey Theatre’s Chief Executive/Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul (Made in Dagenham, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and New Wolsey Theatre, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole The Musical (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch)
This year will be the 40th anniversary of the hit film Footloose starring Kevin Bacon
Runs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 31 May until 26 September and then transfers to the New Wolsey Theatre from 3-26 October
Press performance on Friday 14 June at 7pm, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Everybody cut loose! Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the New Wolsey Theatre to celebrate 40 years of Footloose with exciting new stage production
“A time to laugh… and a time to weep. A time to mourn… and there is a time to dance”
Pitlochry Festival Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre are heading back to the1980s this Summer to stage a spectacular new production of the explosive musical Footloose.
Based on the hit 1980s film, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary, and directed by the New Wolsey Theatre’s Chief Executive/Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul (Made in Dagenham, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and New Wolsey Theatre, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole The Musical, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Footloose will première at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 31 May until 26 September and then transfer to the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich from 3-26 October.
When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, he is prepared for the inevitable adjustment to starting at a new high school, but he’s not prepared for the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing. This heartfelt story pits a father longing for the son he lost against a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. To the rockin’ rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated Top Forty score, elevated with dynamic new songs, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people while guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.
Footloose first burst into life in the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon and was one of that year’s most successful motion pictures. The film’s soundtrack reached Number 1 on the Billboard charts and went on to sell over 17 million copies worldwide, generating hits including its title song and Let’s Hear It for the Boy (both of which received Academy Award nominations), plus Almost Paradise, Holding Out for A Hero by Bonnie Tyler, and I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man).
Footloose opened on Broadway on October 22, 1998. The next day, the show broke the box office record for the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it continued to thrill audiences until July 2000. The production was nominated for four Tony Awards.
The production’s fantastic cast will feature Lola Aluko (Medea, National Theatre of Scotland) as Lulu; Chris Coxon (The Wizard of Oz, The Watermill Theatre and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Leicester Curve/UK Tour) as Coach Roger Dunbar; Theo Diedrick (Sleeping Beauty, Theatr Clwyd and The True Adventures of Marian and Robin Hood, Barn Theatre) as Lyle; Kirsty Findlay (Nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role along with the 2016 cast of the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Our Ladies Of Perpetual Succour. Her other theatre work includes Islander: A New Musical) as Ariel Moore; Connor Going (Sunshine on Leith, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Footloose, West End, UK & International Tour) as Chuck Cranston; Charlotte Grayson (Sunshine on Leith, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and The Lord of the Rings, The Watermill Theatre) as Wendy Jo; Nina Kristofferson (Medea, Northern Broadsides) as Ethel McCormack; Signe Larsson (The Wizard of Oz, The Watermill Theatre) as Urleen; Myles Miller (Alice In Wonderland, Liverpool Everyman Playhouse and Beautiful The Carole King Musical, Curve and UK Tour) as Travis; Wendy Paver (The Blonde Bombshells of 1943 and Summer Holiday, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Footloose, UK tour) as Vi Moore; Elizabeth Rowe (Made in Dagenham, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch / New Wolsey Theatre and One Man Two Guvnors, Nuffield Southampton Theatres) as Rusty; Robin Simpson (The Railway Children, York Theatre Royal and Much Ado About Nothing, Northern Broadsides) as the Reverend Shaw Moore; Luke Thornton (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole the Musical, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Summer Holiday, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Willard and Luke Wilson (Much Ado About Nothing, Royal Shakespeare Company and Rockets and Blue Lights, National Theatre) as Ren McCormack. All other roles will be played by the cast.
Adapted for the stage by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, Footloose features a score by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford with additional music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins, and Jim Steinman. The production is designed by Adrian Rees (Sunshine on Leith, Pitlochry Festival Theatre), with music directed by Richard Reeday (Brief Encounter, Pitlochry Festival Theatre), lighting by Jeanine Byrne (A Streetcar Named Desire, Pitlochry Festival Theatre), sound by James Cook (Once, UK Tour), choreography by Kally Lloyd-Jones (This Is Memorial Device, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Edinburgh International Book Festival), fight direction by Robin Hellier (A Streetcar Named Desire, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) and the voice dialect coach is Charmian Hoare (The Lehman Trilogy, National Theatre).
Director and Chief Executive/Artistic Director of the New Wolsey Theatre Douglas Rintoul said:
“Elizabeth Newman and I have been cooking up a treat for our theatres for a while. Although we’re 500-miles apart there’s a palpable synergy between us. Footloose, is etched in our memories for its Oscar and Tony-nominated score, but it also unfolds as a poignant journey delving into themes of grief, cultural censorship, and youth rebellion. This new collaboration represents a thrilling opportunity to reawaken the essence of this classic. In this way, this 40-year-old 80s classic will resonate with the challenges and joys of our contemporary world.”
Footloose runs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 31 May – 26 September. Tickets and further information are 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 07880893750 or E duncanclarkepr@gmail.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
Press performance:
Friday 14 June at 7pm, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Monday 7 October at 7pm, New Wolsey Theatre
Director: Douglas Rintoul
Musical Director: Richard Reeday
Designer: Adrian Rees
Sound Designer: James Cook
Lighting Designer: Jeanine Byrne
Choreographer: Kally Lloyd-Jones
Fight Director: Robin Hellier
Production Manager: Nick Trueman
Stage Manager: Katy Nicolson
Dialect coach: Charmian Hoare
Deputy Stage Manager (Book): Katie Galbraith
Deputy Stage Manager (Floor): Chariya Glasse-Davies
Assistant Stage Manager (Floor): Nele Haehnsen
Sound No.1: Toby McFarlane
Cast:
Lola Aluko, Chris Coxon, Theo Diedrick, Kirsty Findlay, Connor Going, Charlotte Grayson,
Nina Kristofferson, Signe Larsson, Myles Miller, Wendy Paver, Elizabeth Rowe, Robin Simpson,
Luke Thornton, and Luke Wilson
Listings:
Eve perf at 7.30pm:
May: 31
June: 1, 13, 14 (at 7pm) & 28
July: 13, 16, 24 & 30
August: 2, 3, 7, 20, 21 & 28
September: 5, 10, 17, 21 & 25
Mat perf at 2pm:
June: 13, 29
July: 17, 25
August: 8, 29
September: 6, 11, 22 & 26
Accessible Performances
Audio Description: 13 Jul 7.30pm, 8 Aug 2pm
Captioned: 25 Jul 2pm
Relaxed and Dementia Friendly: 17 Jul 2pm
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
New Wolsey Theatre dates – 3-26 October
Website: wolseytheatre.co.uk
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.
Address: Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Port Na Craig, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5DR
Box Office and group bookings: boxoffice@pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Website: pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
The New Wolsey Theatre is an award-winning theatre that enriches the lives of people living in Suffolk. We’re a vibrant cultural hub offering a diverse range of performances, community engagement and artist development. We have a national reputation for excellence, diversity, and accessibility and are dedicated to delivering this essential work. We make our own productions as well as co-produce with UK and international theatres, and are renowned for staging world premieres and landmark revivals of musicals and plays which recently includes Little Shop of Horrors, Boy On The Roof, The Red Lion, Brief Encounter, Kinky
Boots The Season (now transferring to the West End under the new title Two Strangers Carry a Cake), and our iconic Rock ‘n’ Rollpantomime. We are currently planning Footloose (a co-production with Pitlochry Festival Theatre) and Bindweed(a co-production with Colchester Mercury and High Tide and in association with The Royal Exchange). We also present productions by acclaimed national touring companies and we support the work of emerging theatre companies and independent artists. We strive to ensure there is something for everyone in our programme.
The New Wolsey Theatre is partially funded by Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council, and Ipswich Borough Council and is supported by local business sponsors as well as corporate and private members. As a not-for-profit charity, we rely on their investment, and we are very grateful for their unwavering support that allows us to fulfil our mission.
Douglas Rintoul: biography
Douglas is an award-winning theatre-maker and Chief Executive/Artistic Director of the New Wolsey Theatre. He read Drama & Theatre Arts at The University of Birmingham, he trained on the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme and Royal National Theatre Studio Young Directors’ Programme. He was the Artistic Director of the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, founder of the national touring theatre company Transport and an associate of Complicité.
He won a National Theatre Playwright Foundation Award for his play Elegy and the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch won the London Theatre of the Year Stage Award during his tenure in 2020. Selected productions include: Brief Encounter(New Wolsey Theatre, Wiltshire Creative & Yvonne Arnaud), As You Like It(Queens Theatre Hornchurch and National Theatre); Dardanus (English Touring Opera); Abigail’s Party(Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Salisbury Playhouse, Derby Theatre and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg), The Crucible (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg and Selladoor); Made in Dagenham (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and New Wolsey Theatre); Europe (Barbican and Dundee Rep.); State Red (Hampstead Theatre); The Summer Book (Unicorn Theatre);Jonny Woo’s East London Lecture (Shoreditch Town Hall) The Deep Blue Sea, All My Sons, Of Mice of Men (Watermill Theatre); Elegy (Transport/Theatre503); Copenhagen, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew(Salisbury Playhouse).
