Gaiety Theatre, Ayr

The Gaiety Theatre is a category B listed performing arts venue in Ayr, Scotland. It is noted for its interior rococo features, its atmosphere and its acoustics.

The Ayr Gaiety was built in 1902, reconstructed after a fire in 1904, its façade remodeled in 1935, and further reinstated after a fire in 1955. In 1995, an annex was constructed, including a new café, box office, dressing rooms and studio space. After a faltering start, which saw several years as a cinema after World War I, the theatre was bought by Ben Popplewell, from Bradford who already had a track record of success running the Pavilion theatre on Ayr seafront. For fifty years the Popplewell family ran the theatre – latterly as part of the Glasgow Pavilion business. During this time the Gaiety developed a reputation as a variety theatre with a ‘summer’ variety show – the Gaiety Whirl – which ran for 26 weeks at its height. Many Scottish and UK stars appeared regularly on its stage, and several started their careers there. The programme offered more than a summer show however, with several weeks of Shakespeare and regular transfers from Glasgow Citizens theatre, being part of a varied offer. After seventy years in private ownership the local Council acquired the Gaiety theatre freehold in 1974. It then operated as a municipal theatre under direct local authority management. The programming had much in common with the Popplewell years, with the Gaiety Whirl still a feature and the, by now, popular panto at the core of the programme. But the scope of performances developed and, while the family oriented theme continued, a wider range of presentations developed, including controversial shows such as Borderline Theatres production of Dario Fo’s Mistero Buffo and a touring version of Oh Calcutta! After many years of successful operation the theatre began to lose audiences and the Council felt the revenue subsidy it provided and the requirement for capital investment required a new approach. In January 2009 the theatre closed, leaving Ayr without a theatre – as the Civic Theatre, which had mainly presented drama, had been closed and demolished a little earlier due to asbestos contamination problems.

The closure met with considerable opposition and dismay among many Ayr residents, particularly since it appeared that the required capital and revenue investment to reopen the theatre would not be available. A public meeting attracted over 400 attendees, the future of the theatre was a key issue in the local press, many Scottish performers expressed their dismay and there was extensive discussion on social media.

In early 2009 South Ayrshire Council invited tenders to take on the theatre management. Ayr Gaiety Partnership (AGP), a charity formed by local residents for the purpose in Summer 2009, secured preferred bidder status. Just over three years later, having secured financial backing from the Council and Scottish Government, as well as from local fundraising, AGP took on a 99-year lease of the theatre with a vision to do much more than simply re-open the building. Ayr Gaiety Partnerships vision is 'to re-energise the performing arts in South Ayrshire, with the Gaiety Theatre as the hub of a network of venues that will stimulate the cultural life and economic prosperity of the area ensuring that Ayr will once again be a key destination for all those interested in the performing arts.'

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