Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre may be closed for now, but the team behind the venues is sharing daily moments of culture and community to stay in touch while the buildings are dark.
Keep Going Together www.keepgoingtogether.co.uk delivers short daily offerings from across departments at Horsecross Arts, the creative organisation behind Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre. And there’s a wide brief for the interactive site including concerts the team wish they’d been to, desert island discs line-ups, comedy double acts that have inspired theatre productions, actors talking about plays they love, even recipes for some of the venues’ most popular food items. The site also highlights digital content from other cultural organisations around the country.
Lu Kemp, artistic director for Perth Theatre who is curating the site along with Horsecross Arts creative directors for classical music James Waters and contemporary music Andy Shearer said:
“Our venues are amazing but what makes them is the community around them. We’re the mums and babies who meet every week in Perth Theatre café. We’re the WiFi users on their laptops in Perth Concert Hall foyer. We’re the raucous concert goers who dress up, drink up and dance on down. We’re the clued up classical audiences who turn up rain or shine to cheer on international stars and local musicians. We’re the theatre lovers who cherish the history and embrace the now in our perfectly restored auditorium.
“We’re the Join In groups from kids to adults who meet and make friends while singing, acting or dancing. We’re the noisy conference delegates spilling out of workshops and meetings to network. We’re the amazing artists who share their work in our spaces. We’re our proud supporters who help us in so many ways. We’re each and every member of our dedicated team who make it happen every day. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back into our venues.
“Keep Going Together is our way of keeping this community together as we all face this challenging situation. It’s a bite-sized bit of escapism that can fit easily into everybody’s day. We’re happy to take any suggestions and feedback that people have on what they would like to see covered on the site.”
Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre closed to the public on Tuesday 17 March and staff are now working remotely. The team are working to reschedule as many events as possible and have reassured customers that all ticket-holders will be contacted about what’s happening with their shows as quickly as they can.
Last week, chief executive Nick Williams outlined the precarious financial position faced by Horsecross Arts as a charity in the arts in these extraordinary circumstances and asked Perth culture lovers to consider helping out by transferring their ticket money into a credit note or a donation rather than taking a refund.
Horsecross Arts is supported by Creative Scotland, Perth & Kinross Council and The Gannochy Trust.
