Gaiety dreams of a step back in time for revamp
Theatre chiefs want to send Ayr’s Gaiety back in time as part of an ambitious makeover.
An overhaul of the building’s exterior – to mirror its original renovation of 1938 – is among plans being considered.
The iconic venue, which is projecting 65,000 ticket sales for the current financial year, could be ready for the next phase of its development.
Chief executive, Jeremy Wyatt, revealed: “It’s something of a twinkle in our eyes at the moment.
“But we aspire to have the exterior of the building renovated, much like it was with the art deco frontage during its original refurbishment back in the day.
“Our feeling is that investment in the outside of the building will benefit everyone.
“We have been able to carry out refurbishment works to the interior of the building, so the exterior is the next logical step should we ever have the funds.
“It is a future project but one we’d very much like to do.”
Mr Wyatt was speaking to a panel of South Ayrshire councillors, presenting his annual financial report on the Gaiety’s performance.
The council, which last year funded the theatre to the tune of £ 115,000, has also invested a five year loan of £ 650,000.
Latest turnover was reported at £ 1.3m with Mr Wyatt estimating the Gaiety’s economic impact to Ayr at £ 2 million.
He said: “The ongoing support from the council, backed up by the loan, is significant.
“Without that, we simply wouldn’t be here.”
The theatre chief reserved special praise for the recent festive panto which won rave reviews.
Produced in- house for the first time under the Gaiety’s new leadership, it was hailed a five star outing by critics.
Mr Wyatt said: “We had become dissatisfied for a while and felt we’d reached a certain level with our panto, so we wanted to improve that.
“We pitched high and were delighted with what we got.
“Already, bookings are a third up on the same time last year for our next panto, Sleeping Beauty, so the early signs are positive.”
We aspire to have the exterior of the building renovated much like it was in the art deco era