Montrose Playhouse backers have received a special preview of the new town cinema as the multi-million pound project enters a crucial phase.
The end of an eight-year journey is in sight for the team behind the ambitious scheme to convert the town’s former swimming pool into a three-screen state of the art cinema and community hub.
Sights are now firmly focused on an October opening and the latest James Bond blockbuster as its premiere showing.
Local sponsors were invited behind the scenes of the cavernous Mall building to see the three screen rooms now formed in what was the original pool area.
They will seat 110, 145 and 147 people.
Community spaces
The building will also feature community spaces offering limitless opportunities for functions and events.
It incorporates the Reel Café Bar, to be graced by a handful of refurbished original art deco seats salvaged from one of the town’s two old cinemas.
Other original remnants have been retained by the project team, including part of the original diving board which has been built into a wall near the Playhouse entrance.
The renovation project is being carried out by contractors by Bancon Construction.
Montrose Playhouse chairman, David Paton, architect and founder of the project said: “These latest sponsorships, along with a recent surge in our reward-based crowdfunding, have seen us raise over £118,000 to date from the local community and businesses.
“That is just incredible for us.
“Coupled with savings made by Bancon Construction, who have been an absolute dream to work with from start to finish, it means we are currently only £75,000 away from our capital funding goal.
“We are on schedule to cause quite a shake, not a stir, when we open in October this year, hopefully with the screening of No Time to Die.”
David said: “As well as being a cinema, the project is keenly focussed on improving the wellbeing of the community through social programmes targeting social isolation and by partnering with mental health professionals such as New Solutions CIC to deliver real results.”
Sponsorship opportunities
“It is great to be able to show some of our sponsors around the building to give them an appreciation of the scale of the project.
“It will seem to them that there is a lot still to be done, but we have made massive progress and the contractors are well on schedule.
“Murray Taylor, chartered accountant are sponsoring The Reel Café Bar, the Box Office sponsors are Montrose Port Authority and Gill Financial Services are taking on one of The Reel Bar booths.”
The latest firms join snack bar sponsors Specsavers Montrose, 12 Feet Deep shop sponsors Montrose Rope & Sail, lift sponsors Scott Alexander Solicitors, booth sponsors Fordhouse Farms and Celurca Investments the first, and currently the only Wolves of Mall Street corporate sponsor.
Thorntons Law LLP has also delivered another financial boost to the project having previously supported fundraising event the Return of the M’Oscars in 2017.
David added: “There are still business sponsorships available in the form of screens, activity rooms and the Reel Bar booths as well as more Wolves of Mall Street corporate packages.
Venue manager Matt Buchanan can be contacted at manager@montroseplayhouse.co.uk for more information.
Individuals can also support the £2.5 million-plus project through purchasing seats, sofas, love seats and golden tickets which are available at www.montroseplayhouse.co.uk