The restoration and redevelopment of Perth’s 115-year old theatre will take a significant step forward this week as the project team submits detailed plans to Perth & Kinross Council Planning Department.
Members of the public can view the plans online at www.pkc.gov.uk/planning where they will be able to access plans and layouts of all floors, building elevations and sections and architects impressions of exterior and interior.
Gwilym Gibbons, chief executive of Horsecross Arts, the creative organisation behind Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre which is leading the Transform Perth Theatre project along with project partners Perth & Kinross Council said:
“The submission of these detailed plans is an exciting step along the way to transforming Perth Theatre and means we remain on track to reopen in late 2017. Planning is a very important consultation and decision making stage but we hope to go through that process smoothly so that we can move forward in earnest with the project to transform Perth Theatre into a 21st Century space of which Perth can be proud.”
Perth Theatre has a long history of artistic innovation and excellence having been at the heart of cultural life in Perth for over a century. The transformation of the theatre will restore and redevelop one of Scotland’s oldest and best loved theatres for generations to come. The B listed Edwardian auditorium will be restored to its former glory and a new 200 seat studio theatre will be created. The newly transformed venue will have increased workshop spaces for creative learning and community projects including the thriving Perth Youth Theatre, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016, and there will be improved access and facilities for audiences and visitors.
Horsecross Arts has been pledged £15.1m for the Perth Theatre redevelopment from project partners Perth & Kinross Council, Creative Scotland, The Gannochy Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund, trusts and foundations, generous individuals and other supporters or funding bodies. Horsecross is working hard to raise an additional £1.5 million to ensure that the newly transformed venue is fully equipped and furnished for a new century of theatre in Perth. Trusts and foundations, local businesses, communities and many of the theatre’s patrons have been showing their support.
Theatre lovers and audiences have also been playing their part through donation schemes and seat sponsorship. All Horsecross Arts customers have the option to donate £1 or more when booking tickets for any events online or through Perth Concert Hall Box Office, or to donate a sum of their choice to the Transform Perth Theatre fund online at http://www.horsecross.co.uk/be-part-it. Open to all, Take your Seat invites sponsors to donate £250 or more to secure a seat in the new Studio Theatre while invited donations of £400 or more will secure a fully refurbished seat in the historic Edwardian auditorium. All seat sponsors will receive a unique dedication of their choice. Generous organisations and individuals can also undertake fundraising activities of their own with the support and encouragement of the Horsecross Arts fundraising team.
While the theatre is closed, Horsecross Arts is continuing to offer a wide-ranging drama programme under the banner of Perth Theatre Out and About as well as staging theatre in Perth Concert Hall with a series of co-productions and visiting shows. The latest of these, a co-production of Charles’ Dickens’ Great Expectations with Dundee Rep ran in Perth Concert Hall from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 June.
