The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Revamped theatre takes a place on the UK stage
Artistic director tells how venue is doing well in terms of ticket sales and how one member of the public made her cry
Perth’s newly-renovated theatre has put the city on the UK performance map, justifying its £16.6m price tag, according to artistic director Lu Kemp.
Speaking before the launch of the theatre’s spring programme – and approaching a year since the building reopened – she said ticket sales were either in line with expectations “or slightly exceeding them”. Last year’s pantomime, for example, sold better than in any previous year.
She said: “The theatre has been central to the cultural life of the city for more than 100 years and the redeveloped venue will continue to be a major asset to the city as it expands and develops as a tourism and business destination.
“I don’t know whether – yet – we’re on the world theatre map, though we are pushing it. But it has certainly changed the profile of Perth Theatre in Scotland and across the UK.
“It feels easy to call people and say we are Perth Theatre and we are interested in having a conversation, whether that’s from Birmingham to Northampton, from Cumbria to Manchester, we’re growing connections all the time.”
She said the public mood plays a big role in choosing work. This year’s thriller – Gaslighting – first coined the term that is now used to describe a kind of mental abuse, tying into themes currently being highlighted in society by the #metoo movement. “Some of it is a catalogue inside my head, plays from having worked over the years that might now have more of contemporary resonance. There is a right moment to do certain pieces of work, so it’s a little bit about that, about trying to work out what the conversation is at the moment. We have programmed the season to ensure we have something for everyone.
“We have listened to feedback from our audiences to bring them more of what they have asked for and more of what they enjoyed from last season, great stories told with live music.”
She said some of that feedback had been particularly emotional for her. One of the farmers interviewed for last year’s agriculture-themed touring production - A Six Inch Layer of Topsoil and The Fact It Rains – had got in touch to tell her what he thought of it.
“He wrote his hand was shaking and we’d got everything right. You’ve made an old farmer cry. And that made me cry. It was amazing. You’ve got to celebrate when you get it right. You won’t always get everything right for everyone, but you keep trying and that’s the thing.”