New musical Ceilidh announces full cast for Pitlochry and UK tour | Noisemaker's new musical finds cast
Ceilidh, a new musical, invites audiences to step into one of Scotland’s oldest and most beloved traditions. The show opens this October at Pitlochry Town Hall ahead of an extensive Scottish and UK tour. Meet the cast below.
CEILIDH - a new musical, announces full cast
Part night out, part love story, part cultural phenomenon, now the exciting new musical CEILIDH is set to have its UK premiere this October at the picturesque setting of the historic Pitlochry Town Hall.
Directed and choreographed by the Tony award-winning Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!, Broadway and West End, and The Rocky Horror Show, Studio 54), CEILIDH will premiere in Pitlochry from 7-17 October ahead of its UK tour.
About Ceilidh the musical
CEILIDH, which is part of Alan Cumming’s inaugural season as Artistic Director, in the Theatre’s 75th anniversary year, is a musical that invites you to step into one of Scotland’s oldest and most beloved traditions – a gathering to share songs, stories and, most importantly, dancing!
The floor is yours. The story is ours. CEILIDH is a brand-new musical that invites you to step into the heart of one of Scotland's oldest and most beloved traditions. It’s a gathering of songs, stories and dances, all while sharing a dram or two along the way.
Led by a lively caller, you’ll be swept up in a whirlwind of music and memories from the moment you walk through the door. But as the music builds and the night takes hold, a story begins to unfold. A family story. One of love, legacy, and why tonight's ceilidh matters more than most.
This joyous, irreverent, heart-pounding night is created by award-winning duo Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie (Noisemaker) and directed and choreographed by Tony award-winner Sam Pinkleton. Whether you're on the floor and part of the action, or taking it all in from the balcony, CEILIDH meets you exactly where you are. The band's already playing. Find yourself a hand to hold.
Ceilidh musical cast
The exciting cast will feature the CATS award-winning actress Kirsty Findlay, who recently wowed audiences at Pitlochry Festival Theatre's productions of The Sound of Music and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, as Euna. Scott Gilmour as Ramsay, Kyle Gardiner as Alternate Ramsay, David Rankine as Leo, George Drennan as Older Leo, Annie Grace as Older Euna/Lady Buchanan/Moira, Star Penders as Granny Maclavaney/Maria, Rori Hawthorn as Rowan, Jerome Lincoln as Lucas, Laura Lovemore as Yvonne, Charlie West as Fiddles/Duncan the Stout/Darren, Harry Ward as Dave/Lord Buchanan, and the ensemble is made up of Leo Shak, Elinor Peregrin, Helen Logan and Robin MacKenzie as Piper/Ensemble.
Cast: Scott Gilmour, Kyle Gardiner, David Rankine, George Drennan, Kirsty Findlay, Annie Grace, Star Penders, Rori Hawthorn, Jerome Lincoln, Laura Lovemore, Charlie West, Harry Ward, Leo Shak, Elinor Peregrin and Robin MacKenzie.
Made in Scotland
CEILIDH was commissioned by Tony award-winning producers Barbara Whitman and Beth Williams, who remain the show's lead producers. The new musical was developed entirely in Scotland using Scottish artists and musicians, before taking the show to trial in the US last year. While the show is an original script and score, the musical will feature traditional Scottish reels as part of the dances.
Tony Award-winning director Sam Pinkleton said:
“There is absolutely nothing like CEILIDH. Creating this extraordinary musical has been a riot to bring to life. I’m overjoyed to continue living inside the rambunctious, life-affirming, and totally original theatrical world Scott and Claire have created and let this joyful celebration loose on audiences at Pitlochry Town Hall and across the UK."
About Noisemaker
Created by the award-winning writing duo Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie aka Noisemaker (Oor Wullie, SCOTS) CEILIDH is a joyous, irreverent, heart-pounding celebration of Scotland’s culture, community, and the power of gathering together. Formed in 2012, Noisemaker has written, developed, and produced over 20 new works as a partnership. Using music, song, humour and heart: they strive to tell stories that bring people together.
The pair have collaborated with companies including The National Theatre of Scotland, Goodspeed Musicals, Fiasco Theater, Dundee Rep, and are this year's recipients of the prestigious Jonathan Larson Grant for Musical Theatre Writing.
Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmour said:
“At its heart, a ceilidh is pretty straightforward: gather some folk and leave the world outside behind by having a dance. The happy chaos that comes from this is what’s kept ceilidh dancing as one of Scotland’s proudest and most celebrated traditions. We wanted to capture that feeling - gathering people to celebrate the simple act of being together - and see if it could form the basis for a story.
We began writing CEILIDH in 2020 - a time when the idea of holding hands with strangers seemed something we might never get to do again. Even still, we worked with our director, Sam Pinkleton, to imagine an experience that allowed audiences to join a proper ceilidh, while also being led through the life of family. A story about memory, love, and duty. How we pass on our traditions, and how they shape us and the people we love.
CEILIDH had its first workshop performance in Glasgow in 2024, at the wonderful and much-loved Cottiers. From there, we continued developing the show and, last year, had our first test with a US audience in Baltimore at the M&T Bank Exchange. Turns out Americans can reel too!
And now we’re here! Getting to bring CEILIDH back to where it started and share the show as part of Alan Cumming’s incredible inaugural season at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. We invite Pitlochry audiences to join us for some songs, some stories, some dances (maybe even a dram… or two… or three) and we’ll see you on the floor!”
Where to see Ceilidh the musical | Ceilidh UK Tour Dates
7-17 October Pitlochry Town Hall
23 October - 13 November Shoreditch Town Hall
18-22 November High Wycombe Old Town Hall
24-29 November Eastbourne Winter Gardens, Floral Hall
1-5 December Fareham Live
15-20 December Brighton Dome Corn Exchange
29 December - 2 January 2027 Guildford G Live
4-9 January 2027 Edinburgh Corn Exchange
19-23 January 2027 Aberdeen Music Hall
25-29 January 2027 Dundee Caird Hall
2-26 February 2027 Shoreditch Town Hall
2-7 March 2027 Bradford Ballroom
13-15 March 2027 Glasgow Barrowland
23-27 March 2027 Liverpool St Georges Hall
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