It is sometimes all too easy to fall into what might be described as the news trap. For a few days, the headlines and airwaves are dominated by the latest scandal, which is then instantly forgotten.
The memory is only jolted when, as with this writer earlier in the week when meeting a friend who lives in the town, he comes face-to-face with a forgotten problem, in this case the ongoing closure of the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh.
Late last summer, it was impossible to escape stories about reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, swiftly translated into the acronym RAAC. The biggest scare stories related to schools and hospitals, invoking the prospect that pupils or patients might suddenly find themselves buried under rubble. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet and, as far as the public is aware, no building has actually collapsed as a result of cost-cutting in previous decades that has come home to bite.
Unsurprisingly, theatres were not exempt from the malaise and, following a few tough years dominated by the COVID pandemic and cost of living crisis, the last thing that those managing arts buildings needed was to lose the lucrative panto season, which is exactly what happened to some.
According to Arts Professional in an article last October entitled “Theatre concrete disruption continues in run-up to Christmas”, 14 UK venues were forced to close last September while four others remained open in the knowledge that significant work would be required.
These theatres were spread far and wide in Scotland, Wales and across England from Southend to Preston, Redhill to Northampton. In addition, the National Theatre had issues with some backstage areas, although apparently these did not require remedial work. According to the article, only three were expecting to reopen by the end of 2023 and several of the others have, like the Brunton, not yet reopened or only did so very recently.
The Brunton might be a good representative example of the ongoing problems, as demonstrated in an update statement from East Lothian Council issued only two months ago. This explained that their options report is not yet complete which is only a precursor to proposals moving through the council’s governance structure. In the meantime, the theatre is obliged to hire a series of alternative locations.
Even if some productions have been relocated to other (often far from ideal) venues during the closures, this has almost certainly come at great cost, with fewer tickets sold at lower prices and heavy expenses in hiring temporary accommodation and potentially transporting sets and people.
It is in the nature of construction projects that they will overrun, and therefore even several of the theatres that had expected to reopen by the second half of this year will still be closed with their futures uncertain.
This issue could be an excellent opening project for the new Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy. It might combine the principles of devolution (formerly levelling up) with a commitment to the arts and would undoubtedly prove popular, albeit on a local level.
When a theatre has been struggling to survive after pandemic closures, then loses the big money-spinner of the year, its panto, one struggles to see where it is going to get the financing for a major capital project, especially since so many local councils are running large deficits to the point where some are insolvent, while central government has been stingy in its allocation of funds directed towards the arts for a decade or more.
Some might just strike it lucky by finding a local individual or business person who wishes to endow a very large sum in return for what might ultimately be temporary immortality with their name attached to a building.
Theatres might also have missed the boat, since, if the government’s plan to build 1½ million new homes over the next five years is implemented quickly alongside further restrictions on migration, it may be difficult to find construction workers available to carry out the remedial work.
They say that out of sight is out of mind, and that is undoubtedly the case for the vast majority of the population when it comes to RAAC in arts venues. However, if your local theatre has been closed for almost a year with the question as to whether it will ever reopen, this is a serious, ongoing issue.