The people of Perth are being invited to test out the transformed Perth Theatre before it takes off for a new generation of theatre!
As the countdown to the completion date continues, the Perth Theatre team is working closely with the building contractors to prepare the launch of the transformed venue.
Perth Theatre Box Office, Café and Bar will open to the public from Monday 13 November. From that date, in the run up to panto time, there will be a series of opportunities for members of the public to test the restored and redeveloped theatre, peek back stage, explore the building and check out the performance spaces. Tours of the transformed Perth Theatre will be available to book from early October, with feedback welcome and encouraged.
Perth Theatre will mark its official reopening with the first public performance of Aladdin on Saturday 9 December at 2pm. Locals who performed in Perth panto as children will be invited to a reunion event during the run of Aladdin, the same panto that relaunched the theatre after a period of refurbishment in the 1980’s!
Artistic director for Perth Theatre, Lu Kemp said:
“We are very excited to be reopening Perth Theatre with our Perthshire inspired panto Aladdin – the title that reopened the theatre after a period of redevelopment in 1981. In the lead-up to Saturday 9 December when the curtain goes up for the first official performance in the transformed Perth Theatre, we will be opening the theatre to test all areas with the public, and look forward to welcoming visitors and audiences in to give us feedback and to help us get the whole venue ready for take-off! We look forward to welcoming both existing and new audiences into the theatre, extending a special invitation to all those who, as children, have appeared in Perth pantos through the years.”
Councillor Ian Campbell, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council, said:
“The incredibly popular annual panto is a fitting show to launch the re-developed theatre. These transformation works have been no small task, and I commend the team who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the final building is delivered. I look forward to seeing inside once it is complete.”
Anyone who performed in Perth panto as a child and would like to be involved in the reunion event is asked to contact Debra Salem dsalem@horsecross.co.uk and look out for more info on the Horsecross website and social media over the coming weeks.
There will be a Recruitment Day in Perth Concert Hall on Wednesday 30 August where potential star performers can find out more about upcoming Perth Theatre and Perth Concert Hall job opportunities.
Tickets for Aladdin, in Perth Theatre from Saturday 9 December until Saturday 6 January, are on sale now at www.horsecross.co.uk and at Perth Concert Hall Box Office on 01738 621031.
Perth Theatre’s homecoming panto is proudly supported by Struans, with panto kids cheered on by Thorntons Solicitors.
The first Scottish WOW - Women of the World Festival, bringing together local women and girls, men and boys as well as national and international names, will now take place in Perth Concert Hall, giving the Perth Theatre production team more time to set up for Aladdin which promises to be a spectacular launch showcase for the transformed theatre.