Ghillie Don't - promoter pulls out of venue

ONE of the biggest Fringe promoters has scaled back last year's expansion into the city's west end after failing to draw big enough crowds.

The Pleasance will not be running shows at the Ghillie Dhu in Shandwick Place, where dozens of events were held last year. It described the move as a "mutual decision".

The venue admitted the joint venture "did not work out" but said a full programme of events would be staged this year, including a major National Theatre of Scotland production, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, which will have a month-long run.

A spokesman for Ghillie Dhu said: "It was the first year when we were open for the Fringe last year, when Pleasance put the whole programme together. But it did not work out really, and we felt we could do better at putting on events that were more in keeping with the venue."

Ghillie Dhu, a 19th-century church and former casino, had lain empty for years before it was turned into a nightspot by the Glasgow-based G1 Group.