Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson reunite for stage production

Actors Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson have reunited on stage for the first time in their 40-year friendship to perform in ‘A History of Paper’ at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. The two first met as young actors on the STV drama ‘Shadow of the Stone’.

Originally a radio play written by Oliver Emanuel with music by Gareth Williams, the production was developed into a musical that appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024. The story follows a couple recounting their lives through accumulated scraps of paper. The production holds additional emotional significance following the death of writer Oliver Emanuel in 2023.

Cumming, who serves as the artistic director of the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, proposed a casting approach where older actors play versions of their younger selves. Henderson and Cumming, aged 60 and 61, lead the production. The idea for the stage appearance emerged while the pair were working together on the film ‘Glenrothan’, directed by Brian Cox.