I REALLY hope Councillor Deidre Brock is right when she says the immediate threat to the King's Theatre has been lifted. Her evidence – that the electrics are not as bad as thought – is good news but not conclusive.
Knowing that electrics are in
working order does not guarantee the future of a theatre. Short-term health and safety concerns still need to be addressed such as sanitation, fire escapes, technical facilities, wheelchair access, and the general state of repair.
And unless long-term decisions are made soon, the latest development is little more than a stay of execution. That isn't just my view: the council's own report says: "the do nothing option could lead to the King's winding down towards closure."
Last May, the council leader promised that restoring the King's would be a top priority. But just six months later, the council deferred any decision on the King's until 2010-11 at the earliest. The reason? No funding was available.
But there have been developments. We now know that the money from what was previously called the Cities Growth Fund is not going to be axed. What that means in practice is that the council will have over £10 million a year for the next three years intended for capital projects to improve the life of the city. Not all that money will be spent on the culture budget, and there are many important leisure projects – such as improving pitches and pavilions across the city – that deserve funding. But the King's Theatre, too, deserves a portion of that extra cash.
Think of what just a little of that money could do to help the King's. With funding from other sources – the lottery fund, for example – the building could be made safe for decades, not just months. There could be new seating and better disabled access. Improved back-of-house facilities for performers would attract more big-name acts, touring companies and bands.
But most exciting of all is the plan to turn the venue into a training academy, so people can gain the skills needed in major cultural cities like Edinburgh. The theatres want to join forces with schools, colleges, universities and community groups to deliver hands-on experience backstage and onstage. Imagine pupils being in the theatre, getting the chance to learn about lighting, sound, production, directing, marketing and all the other skills the arts need to survive.
These are grand plans indeed, requiring vision, money, and political leadership. As a city, Edinburgh has never lacked vision. It looks like we have money. The leadership will be recognising that extra money makes it possible to bring forward decisions on how to spend it.
The council must listen to the thousands who have signed the petition to save the theatre. The King's is the best-loved theatre in Scotland, let's now make it the best.
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Rami Okasha is co-ordinating the Save the King's campaign.