The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Distancing rules a financial no-go for Perth Theatre.
Horsecross chief says two-metre rule would only permit 70 people in auditorium
Physical distancing measures could force Perth Theatre to slash its audience numbers by more than twothirds, making future shows financially unviable.
The chief executive of crisis-hit Horsecross Arts said the two-metre rule would only allow for 70 people in the auditorium at one time, compared to the current capacity of 500.
It places a question mark over the fate of the ever-popular Perth pantomime, due to go ahead in December.
Nick Williams, chief executive of Horsecross Arts – the charity in charge of Perth Theatre and Perth Concert Hall – explained the extreme difficulties facing the organisation as a redundancy consultation got under way with his 168-strong workforce.
As revealed by The Courier yesterday, around 120 staff – 70 part-time and 50 full-time – could be axed, as the government’s job retention scheme begins to wind down.
Mr Williams said: “Whilst the retention scheme has been a huge support and a great lifeline to enable us to support our staff, as time goes on it costs us more and more and by the end of October it will end entirely.
“If we kept going the way we were we would have run out of money by the end of the year.
“The outlook was horrendous.” Mr Williams was brought on board last year after serious financial problems forced Perth and Kinross Council to take control and led to mass resignations.
“Just before lockdown, we were starting to see some green shoots,” he said.
“There was still a lot of work to do, of course, but there was definitely an indication that we had turned a corner and it was looking like we might find some new stability.
“When we had to close in March, it felt like the rug had been pulled from under us.”
As talks over jobs continue, Horsecross Arts is exploring how its venues can adapt when lockdown lifts.
“The theatre is especially difficult for us,” Mr Williams said.
“That is a lot to do with the narrowness of the site.
“We have entrances on Mill Street and High Street, and fire doors that open on to the vennels at the side but even if you have all of those doors open, it becomes very difficult to manage everybody.
“The layout of the building makes it hard with any form of distancing.
“At two metres, we can get under 70 people in that auditorium but that is spread across all three levels.
“Even if we go down to one metre, that brings capacity to just under 200. Even at those numbers, it would be a fairly miserable experience for the audience, compared to what they’ve had before.
“But at 70, there is virtually nothing we could put on that would be economically viable.”
It is not clear if, or how, the 2020 Perth pantomime can go ahead.
“I am desperate to get Cinderella to the ball this year,” he said.
“But we haven’t taken a decision yet.”
The layout of the building makes it hard with any form of distancing. NICK WILLIAMS