Theatre project gets underway

May 15 2009 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PITLOCHRY Festival Theatre (PFT), one of Scotland’s major producing theatres, is bucking the recessionary trend by developing a major new production services, rehearsal and education facility.

PFT has just completed the purchase of part of the former Hydro Board premises on the historic Port-na-Craig House Estate adjacent to the theatre, and is now embarking on a capital programme of conversion and development.

The project will cost more than £1.25million and has been fully funded by PFT through a highly successful fundraising campaign. Significant contributions have been made by PFT’s own audiences and supporters, while very generous donations to the campaign have also been made by the Gannochy Trust, Dunard Fund and the Robertson Trust.

The chairman of PFT’s Board of Governors, David Pighills, said he was delighted that the plan to acquire the site has succeeded: “Once converted, these buildings will not only provide us with much needed additional space for education work, rehearsal and storage, they will also allow us to launch an entirely new range of production services for other theatres in Scotland and the rest of the UK, which will generate a new income stream for PFT.

“Thanks to the contributions of all those who supported our fundraising campaign, we have been able to make a substantial investment in the Theatre’s future.”

In November 2007, with its old rehearsal room no longer fit for use, PFT began the search for new premises and identified as the ideal site the office and industrial complex built by the Hydro Board at Port-na-Craig House.

A deal to purchase the complex was struck with the current owner of the property and PFT moved into its new facilities literally hours before rehearsals for the 2009 Season were due to start. Work has now begun on converting the huge tank room space into a new production services facility.

PFT’s chief executive and artistic director, John Durnin, explained: “Historically, PFT has always received the lowest level of public investment of any of Scotland’s major producing theatres, so we’ve always had to generate high levels of earned income to re-invest in our core artistic and educational output. In the current financial year, for example, PFT will earn 75% of its income from the box office, catering, retail, conferencing and other activities.”

“The need to create new, sustainable income streams for the organisation is a key priority in our current business plan and the development of a new production services facility – offering set construction, scenic art, bespoke carpentry and metal fabrication services to third parties – was one of our major aspirations.

“Given that PFT is renowned for the exceptionally high standards of its theatrical production work, the development of a range of comparably high-quality commercial services for the theatre industry, and others, both within and outwith Scotland, is a logical extension of our current activities. The facilities at Port-na-Craig House will allow us finally to launch these new services and we forecast that within five years, the resulting net income contribution to PFT could exceed £100,000 a year.”

North Tayside MSP John Swinney welcomed the expansion: “This is fantastic news and it is great, in these difficult economic times, to see local ventures bucking the recessionary trend. I look forward to seeing the good work of Pitlochry Festival Theatre continuing.”

The preview period of PFT’s new summer season on the theme ‘Home’ opens on Friday.