The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Theatre uses closure to its advantage
Group bids to secure audiences of the future through outreach
The three-year closure of Perth Theatre may have secured the long-term future of the famous venue.
Its £16.6 million renovation has deprived audiences of the chance to watch performances on the stage of the beloved Edwardian auditorium.
Instead, however, the Perth Theatre team have taken their work out into the community, playing at town and village halls and in classrooms.
Now there are hopes the project could help to boost visitor numbers when it re-opens later this year and, through work with the youngsters, perhaps provide the audience of the future.
No matter the extent of that success, new artistic director Lu Kemp says significant lessons have been learnt – and ideas for future productions gathered.
“One of the big developments is that we have moved audience engagement into the very heart of our programme,” she said.
“My hope is that we open up the process of theatre-making to the public and that in the future they will see the stories told that they want.
“The re-opening is hugely exciting and we hope to give those who return to see shows exactly what they are looking for.
“It is up to us, however, to look to build upon our audience and bring new people and new generations to see our work and make sure that they are our audience in 50 years.”
In achieving that goal, the closure may have played a huge role as Lu and her team have engaged with huge numbers of people, of all ages, to whom the theatre was new.
“I hope that the work we have done with schools and will continue to do will see the children come to see other works in four or five years’ time,” she said.
“We want people to have experiences that hook them. You have to experience the theatre to gain a passion for it.”
Lu said taking productions out into the community had also provided the theatre team with an incredible wealth of feedback about what people want from their theatre, ideas for new productions and important lessons for future community involvement
“We have been interviewing people about their lives,” she said.
“One project has seen us speaking to farmers about changes in rural living and that will eventually form the basis of a show which will hopefully hit the stage within the first two years of the theatre’s re-opening.
“The conversations have been totally fascinating and the details of how people live and view the land have been astonishing.
“They have also taught us things, such as that it might be best not to do a rural tour in the midst of lambing season.”
The transformation of Perth Theatre will be completed by Christmas, with the city’s traditional festive pantomime the first home-grown production to return to the stage.
My hope is that we open up the process of theatre making to the public and that in the future they will see the stories told that they want. LU KEMP