SCOTS actor Alan Cumming returned to his drama school roots today to receive an honorary doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The Aberfeldy-born author and activist, who is an alumnus of Scotland’s national conservatoire, was recognised for his multi-award-winning career.
The Instinct star’s honorary doctorate of drama was presented in a small and intimate ceremony in Glasgow under strict Covid safety regulations.
It was filmed for a special video segment that will be unveiled at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s winter graduation ceremony that will take place on Thursday, October 21.
The 56-year-old actor accepted the honour fresh from performing his new cabaret show Alan Cumming is Not Acting His Age at the Edinburgh International Festival at the weekend.
He said: “I feel very moved today on receiving this honorary doctorate. I came to study here 36 years ago and I felt like I belonged here from the word go.
"The spirit of this institution has made me the performer that I am today.
“Three years of training and developing technique is very special – the older I’ve got I realise how important this training has been and the confidence I gained here has stood me in such good stead.
"I really like that I went to college here in Glasgow – it allowed me to make mistakes, to learn and to have a laugh.”
Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: “We are delighted to welcome Alan Cumming back to the RCS. He is an inspiration to all of us and he epitomises the genre-fluid artist; one who flows seamlessly between art forms and who harnesses their creative power and platform to inspire and engage with diverse audiences around the world.
“Alan encapsulates the ethos at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where students are encouraged to collaborate across disciplines to create new work and narratives.
"Alan’s work consistently demonstrates that bold ideas, adaptability and clear artistic authenticity are a potent combination. His impressive body of work and his commitment to social activism are an inspiration to the next generation and we are very proud of his prolific contribution to the arts and society.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here