Seven Scots cultural treasures on list of at-risk theatres

FROM a modest modern theatre in Stockbridge that local activists are fighting to save, to the Glasgow edifice where Stan Laurel famously played his first gig, seven Scottish stage venues have been labelled "at risk" on a UK register.

The Stockbridge Theatre in Edinburgh, set to be sold by Edinburgh City Council, has been placed on the list by the UK Theatres Trust, naming it as a venue that should be saved.

The trust has also listed the Ramshorn Theatre, its future in limbo after Strathclyde University moved to axe the drama centre.

The trust is also calling for further action to conserve the interiors of two stunning historic Scottish theatres that are already on its watch list, Aberdeen's Tivoli Theatre and the Glasgow Britannia Panopticon - the musical hall where Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame made his stage debut.

Funding in 2009 enabled restoration work to the exterior of the Panopticon building, with its elaborate Italianate frontage on Glasgow's Trongate, but the interior still needs much work, the trust says.

Ayr's famous Gaiety Theatre, where efforts are already under way to save the building, also appears on the "at risk" list for the first time.

The trust is the statutory body that must be consulted by local authorities in planning decisions on theatres. All 58 theatres listed across the UK this year have faced "huge challenges" in a year when cash-strapped councils across Britain have been reviewing the theatres they own and run, said the trust's director Mhora Samuel.

The Aberdeen Tivoli was bought by local businessman Brian Hendry in 2009 with a pledge to bring it back into use, and last year a heritage organisation awarded a 500,000 grant to reinstate architectural detail on the A listed building and carry out repairs to its roof and masonry.

But Ms Samuel said its architecture made it one of the most important theatre buildings in Scotland. "One of the things that concerns us with this particular building is that the plans for its re-use could have quite a dramatic impact. They are looking at a scheme which might reconfigure the interior quite dramatically and we want to raise awareness of the fact that this could be a risk," she said.

The Stockbridge Theatre, with a main auditorium of 150 seats, was used by the Theatre Workshop company until last year.

Edinburgh council agreed last October on plans to sell the building, but a campaign was set up to save it.

"A local group who want to save that theatre, and while the council has said its only option is effectively to sell the building, it's not the only option," Ms Samuel said.

Also on the register is the former Odeon cinema on Clerk Street, Edinburgh. Despite years of failed plans to redevelop the building, it is not seen as a lost cause.

Another site with a deeply uncertain future is the Ramshorn Theatre in Glasgow, a victim of Strathclyde University's move to save funds with controversial cuts in its music and drama programmes.

Ms Samuel called it a "lovely little theatre" which played a vital role in Glasgow's cultural scene.

Vulnerable venerable venues

• Aberdeen Tivoli. (A listed) Built in 1872, the stunning three-storey, Italian Gothic theatre has been dark since 1997. Although it was converted to a bingo hall, the 800-seat auditorium is largely unchanged. There is particular concern about conserving the building's interior.

• Ramshorn Theatre in Glasgow. (A listed) An 18th century church converted for theatre use, which belongs to the University of Strathclyde. The university's plans to sell off the building, which is currently due to stage its last production later this month, brought protests from staff and students.

• Glasgow Britannia Panopticon. (A listed) Originally built in 1840, the oldest music hall in Britain. After a concerted effort to save the building, it stages public open days as well as a range of one-off events.

• Stockbridge Theatre. (B listed) Residents are fighting to save the theatre, a converted Georgian town house used until 2010 by the Theatre Workshop as an arts centre.

• The Gateway Theatre, Edinburgh. (C listed) A former cinema that opened as a theatre in 1946, in limbo since it was closed by Queen Margaret University College in 2005, with demolition for a planned residential development delayed.

• New Victoria/Odeon building, Edinburgh. (B listed) A classic 1930 cinema built for organ, orchestra and full stage facilities, plans for the Clerk Street building have hit trouble since it closed in 2003.

• Ayr Gaiety. (B listed). The classic theatre opened its doors in 1902 but went dark in 2008. Plans are in place to turn it into an arts and theatre hub for South Ayrshire. Hosted icons from Sir Harry Lauder to jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli.