The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Anger over loss of memorials after theatre refurbishment
Damaged: Dedicated tiles costing £250 each have been replaced by names on a permanent installation
A Perth woman has spoken of her distress that a memorial to her late mother disappeared during the multimillion pound refurbishment of Perth Theatre.
Jane Ireland, who purchased a tile and dedicated it to mother Bet Ireland, was shocked to find it had been removed.
“I contacted Perth Theatre before it closed for redevelopment to ask what was to happen with the tiles which were located in the foyer area at the High Street entrance,” she said.
“I had dedicated one to my mum who was a regular theatre goer for over 30 years.
“I was told the tiles would be reinstated some place in the theatre when it reopened.
“I visited it last week and could not find anything then I noticed a poster on a pillar at the top of the stair and was dismayed to find it was a list of names which had been on the tiles.
“I do not feel this is what the many people who paid £250 for a tile would want, certainly not my idea of a fitting tribute.
“Also there is plenty of wall space in the area, why could something better than a poster not be done?”
Gwilym Gibbons, chief executive of Horsecross Arts, which looks after the theatre and Perth Concert Hall, explained what had happened to the memorials.
“Unfortunately not all of the tiles could be salvaged when they were taken off the walls before Perth Theatre’s restoration and redevelopment, with many of them cracking on removal,” he explained.
“In order to treat all tile dedicators fairly, the decision was taken to recognise them, and past seat plaque holders whose plaques had to be removed when the theatre seats were refurbished, on a permanent installation in the transformed theatre.
“Far from being a poster, this is a donor wall with names applied directly to the wall, in a prominent location in the first floor foyer area.
“We are immensely grateful for past donations and felt very strongly that we wanted to recognise this support in perpetuity.
“Like many arts organisations, Perth Theatre and Perth Concert Hall rely heavily on public donations and support, so we have created a number of schemes that give future supporters the option to make their mark on the venues.
“These include seat dedication, patron schemes, business sponsorship opportunities and more.”
“We are immensely grateful for past donations and felt very strongly that we wanted to recognise this support in perpetuity.
GWILYM GIBBONS