By Richard Burdge

PERTH THEATRE patrons have been reassured that all Scottish Arts funding is being spent entirely on the theatre.

Disquiet had been expressed in some quarters that the drawing together of the new Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre under the management banner of Horsecross would blur the edges of where funding should be targeted.

Theatregoers had contacted The Courier fearing that under the new management structure vital funds were being diverted away from Perth Theatre, having a negative impact on quality.

Yesterday a spokeswoman for Horsecross moved to reassure the public that this was not the case.

“All Scottish Arts Council funding for the theatre is being spent completely on the theatre,” she said.

The financial strictures Perth Theatre has to operate under were alluded to recently by creative director Ian Grieve.

In response to a critical letter about the current season’s productions from a Perthshire theatre patron, Mr Grieve said, “It’s a challenge to come up with a programme that pleases regular theatregoers, entices new audiences, and meets the needs of our funders—especially on such a tight budget relative to other Scottish theatres.

“The reality is that our funding has diminished significantly in relation to other subsidised Scottish theatres over the years.”

Due to financial constraints Perth’s season is a mixture of their own productions, co-productions with other Scottish theatre companies and shows from visiting companies, he said.

The Memorandum, which was staged recently, fell into the final category and attracted much criticism from theatregoers, with many opting to leave at the interval.

Tales from Hollywood, a Perth production, is currently enjoying a more positive response.

The creative director said it was not their intention to alienate loyal supporters and that they took all feedback very seriously.

Mr Grieve pointed out that by the end of the season next month, more than 40,000 theatregoers will have passed through the doors of Perth Theatre, and an additional 23,000 people will have attended other events in the theatre.

Core funding made to Perth Theatre from the Scottish Arts Council for 2005-06 was £319,918 compared with Dundee Rep (£737,583), Byre Theatre (£442,900) and Pitlochry Festival Theatre (£371,418).