Rapunzel, National Theatre of Scotland, Kirsty Anderson

“The beauty of photographing actors is they perform for you in front of the camera,” says Kirsty Anderson. The photographer, late of this parish, has taken these portrait shots of the cast of Rapunzel, this year’s National Theatre of Scotland Christmas show, produced in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland.

In a year in which theatre shows are out of bounds because of coronavirus, the NTS has filmed a new show for cinemas and home viewing this festive season. Filmed at Stirling Castle, Rapunzel has a cast that includes Julie Wilson Nimmo, Darren Brownlie, Amber Sylvia Edwards as Rapunzel and Michelle Chantelle Hopewell as Betty Botanista, while the doyen of Scottish pantos Johnny McKnight, who helped write the show, appears as the narrator Paige Ootabook. McKnight also directed it, with Stewart Kyasimire directing the film.

For Anderson, the joy of shooting the cast and the behind-the-scenes images was the chance to see how a show can be put on even in the most difficult circumstances.

“Everyone was just delighted to be working because so many people I was speaking to hadn’t had work for a while and didn’t know when the next work was coming.”

Rapunzel will be available for audiences in selected independent cinemas and arts centres across Scotland from December 22 and then streamed online from December 23 to January 4, with tickets available at a sliding scale from £0 to £25. Visit nationaltheatrescotland.com for more information. For more details of Kirsty Anderson’s work visit kirstyanderson.co.uk