‘We’ll do everything we can to get panto on’
But Hors e cross won’t risk a udiencesafety
Christm a s p a nto plays a h u ge part in the fin a nci a l st a bilit y of Hors e cross
The man at the helm of Perth Theatre says they will do all they can to make sure Cinderella gets to the ball this Christmas.
Oh yes they will.
The organisation behind Perth Theatre could well do with a bit of the pantomime’s rags to riches happy ending.
Horsecross runs both Perth Theatre and Perth Concert Hall and has been plagued by financial problems long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2019, Perth and Kinross Council stepped in to help the arms-length external organisation manage its finances, holding monthly budget monitoring meetings.
Following that, an external audit of the charity in 2019 led to the mass resignation of most of the Horsecross board just before
Christmas.
The panto plays a huge part in bringing much-needed revenue.
Last Christmas was reported as being “very successful” with 30,000 people coming through the doors of both Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre.
Nick Williams, who took up his role as chief executive of Horsecross in December, said: “We’re a charity, and around 70 per cent of our income comes from ticket sales, conference business and our cafés and bars – panto plays a huge part in this.
“The Perth Theatre panto is a tradition that dates back many many years, and it’s an essential part of a Perth family Christmas.
“We’ll do everything we can to make sure Cinderella gets to the ball this year, whilst ensuring our audiences, performers and our staff are all kept safe by adhering to whatever public health guidelines are in place at that time.”