Restrictions eased, but Fife's theatres rule out September re-opening

Fife’s theatres will remain dark despite the Scottish Government’s announce that they can re-open next month.

The return date of September 14 came with restrictions on numbers who can go to shows - and that still makes it unviable for the curtain to rise again.

Theatres run by OnFife, including the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy; Rothes Halls in Glenrothes; Lochgelly Centre, and Dunfermline’s Carnegie Hall, closed in March with the loss of all shows for the rest of 2020 - including two hugely popular pantos.

On the re-opening announcement, Michelle Sweeney, director of creative development on ONFife, said: “We had been anticipating that this would be the next step forward.

“But for us the key part of the announcement is ‘with restrictions.’

“Like many other theatre and cultural organisations, this condition continues to make it unviable for us to re-open.

“Physical distancing would drastically decrease the number of customers, yet we would still have the same overheads.”

She said the “very sad and difficult decision”the trust made to postpone any theatre scheduling until Spring 2021 still stood.

She added: “It was taken on the basis that re-opening was going to be an uncertain journey, that it was not going to happen overnight and that many of the most important factors, such as public health advice and the spread of Covid-19, were outwith our control.”

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The only live event going ahead is an alternative festive event at Carnegie Hall.

Michelle explained: “This will be a different, more intimate Christmas experience which is involving a great deal of planning to comply with physical distancing and safety measures.

“We desperately want to have the lights on and curtains up again but not at the expense of the financial security of the organisation.

“In the meantime, we have been producing digital content that continues to engage with theatre audiences and remind people that we are still here and working to get back.”

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