‘Whose History is it Anyway?’ for me epitomised the brilliance of Alan Cumming’s appointment as Artistic Director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. ‘Out in the Hills’ was a festival that celebrates all things LGBTQIA+.
It often attracted sell-out audiences, despite being held in the Highlands in mid-January. If you think being out is brave, how brave do you think you have to be to suggest what could have been a snow-bound disaster? I can’t applaud Cumming enough—he’s a genius. The festival was curated by Lewis Hetherington, and Cumming rightly gave him all due respect and thanks for pulling this off. So writes Sass MacDonald for theQR.co.uk…
Scotland’s Sixteenth Century Sappho
‘Whose History is it Anyway?’ was flagged as ‘Two voices, two perspectives, one shared journey of discovery’. Amidst a plethora of household names and gay icons, even one of the speakers—historian Ashley Douglas—suggested her show wasn’t the sexiest on the programme. It may well have appeared not to be, but oh my goodness, Douglas’s passion and enthusiasm were electrifying.
Her mischievous teasers had me looking to see where I could get a pre-publication copy of the book she was discussing.
‘Whose History is it Anyway?’ for me epitomised the brilliance of Alan Cumming’s appointment as Artistic Director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
The format saw Douglas and Skye archivist—and ‘tradition bearer’ (oh, I love that!)—Catherine McPhee in conversation with Pitlochry’s Head of Producing Jeremy Woodhouse. They were discussing Douglas’s forthcoming book With My Own Hand—subtitled ‘The Secret Life of Marie Maitland, Scotland’s Sixteenth Century Sappho’. It doesn’t get much sexier than that. But Douglas is an academic, and her book comes out of trawling through archives for information that might or might not even have existed. She made that feel as exciting as the best detective novel—what a woman!
The Importance of Archives
McPhee’s expertise in archiving was fascinating and very thought-provoking. Woodhouse was the perfect host; both speakers were given their fair share of the allotted time and complemented one another perfectly. Both were singing from the same hymn sheet, exploring issues about what is and should be recorded, and what it tells us about those whose lives have been deemed archive-worthy versus our own values nowadays. It’s still HIStory mainly.
They were discussing Douglas’s forthcoming book With My Own Hand—subtitled ‘The Secret Life of Marie Maitland, Scotland’s Sixteenth Century Sappho’. It doesn’t get much sexier than that.
The audience—very engaged—asked pertinent and probing questions, ably tackled by the panellists. McPhee doesn’t have all the answers, but she certainly knows the questions, and Skye’s archives, at least, feel like they are in safe hands.
This could have been dull as ditchwater, but it was absolutely fascinating and a wee gem that I’m grateful I chose to see. I was captivated.
My recommendations? Buy Douglas’s book as soon as you can get hold of it—it’s available to pre-order now—and go to Skye!
Featured Image: Ashley Douglas and Catherine McPhee credit Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
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