Perth Theatre’s 2027 Season: Scoundrels, Drama and Panto Fun
By Grace Hatchell
A trip to the French Riviera, a troubled marriage on a Scottish island and a journey down the rabbit hole. Perth Theatre has announced its Produced in Perth 2027 season, and I suggest checking which ticket you’ve booked before packing your suitcase.
The five-production programme brings together musical comedy, European drama, young performers and the annual pantomime, with Scottish and international artists joining forces to create theatre in Perth.
Having restored its producing programme in 2025 and expanded national touring in 2026, the theatre is now building its international partnerships. There are homecomings, new collaborations and productions heading beyond Perth. Plenty to keep the stage door busy, then.
First through the looking glass is Perth Youth Theatre, presenting an amateur production of Laura Wade’s ALICE from 17 to 20 February. This contemporary reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s classic will be directed by Fife-born Cora Bissett, whose work includes The Singer and Glasgow Girls.
Fresh from its Diamond Anniversary in 2026, Scotland’s longest-running youth theatre programme will give its young performers another opportunity to take over the Main Stage. Quite right too. You don’t keep a youth theatre going for six decades by leaving everybody waiting in the wings.
March brings a rather different sort of adventure with Dance of Death, running from 5 to 13 March. Perth-based writer and dramaturg Matthew Short’s new adaptation of August Strindberg’s psychological drama relocates the action to a Scottish island in the North Sea.
Co-produced with Sweden’s Teater Dictat, it brings a queer perspective to the play’s exploration of marriage, intimacy and power, with the climate crisis forming its backdrop. An isolated island and a relationship under strain: I suspect “shall we just go out for a nice walk?” won’t quite resolve this one.
The Perth performances mark the adaptation’s English-language première, following its Swedish-language tour in autumn 2026. It will then visit Eastgate Theatre in Peebles, Theatre Royal in Dumfries, New Muse at Howden Park in Livingston, The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, Lanternhouse in Cumbernauld and Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock.
From 29 April to 15 May, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels swaps the North Sea for the French Riviera. Former Perth Theatre Artistic Director Ken Alexander returns from Australia to direct his first Scottish production since relocating to Sydney.
He’ll be joined by Musical Director Hilary Brooks and Choreographer and Associate Director Sarah Wilkie for the musical comedy about rival con artists Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson. Expect increasingly elaborate attempts to outwit one another. Keep an eye on your handbag, particularly if anybody offers to double your holiday money.
Later in the year, Autumn Sonata receives its Scottish première from 26 August to 4 September. Directed by Slovenian theatre-maker Tomaž Krajnc, who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has established his practice in Glasgow, this new stage adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s work examines a difficult mother-and-daughter reunion.
The mother is a celebrated concert pianist, but musical accomplishment offers little protection against years of unresolved family tension. Some visits require a pot of tea. This one sounds as though it might require considerably more preparation.
The adaptation also explores kinship care and its place within health and social support. Its European creative team, based in Scotland, includes lighting designer Zeynep Kepekli, whose credits include Folding Songs.
Finally, from 26 November to 31 December, Babes in the Wood brings the pantomime season back to Perth. The award-winning team behind The Snow Queen and Sleeping Beauty returns, with writer and director Barrie Hunter once again stepping into the role of Dame.
Adventure, music, comedy and audience participation are promised, all served with a distinctly Perth sense of humour. After the con artists and family tensions, it’ll be a relief to have somebody actively encouraging us to shout.
Christopher Glasgow, Director of Perth Theatre and Concert Hall, said:
“What excites me most about Produced in Perth 2027 is the breadth of the programme and the range of artists coming together to create theatre here in Perth.
“We are welcoming back Scottish talent whose careers have taken them overseas, working with international artists who have chosen to make Scotland their home, and developing partnerships that will take our productions to audiences nationwide and beyond.
“Significantly, the season begins and ends with young people performing on our Main Stage, through Perth Youth Theatre and our award-winning pantomime tradition. For me, this captures what Produced in Perth is about: creating theatre that is firmly rooted in our local communities, while embracing artistic ideas, perspectives and partnerships from across the world, and exploring universal themes from the climate crisis to queer identities and relationships.
“Three years ago, our priority was to restore Perth Theatre’s producing capacity. To now be presenting a season of this breadth is something we are incredibly proud of. I look forward to welcoming audiences to experience what we have created for 2027.”
That’s Perth’s theatrical year taking shape, then: rabbits, rogues, reunions and a Dame. My diary has rarely sounded so sociable.
