Love alone will not be enough to save the Whitehall Theatre in the long term.
That was the opinion of comedian Jim Davidson after performing at the venue on Tuesday night.
He suggested the theatre’s best hope for survival would be to link up with a professional outfit in another part of the country.
Davidson played to a small but enthusiastic audience of around 100 and said he had made no money from his visit to Dundee. He has been a staunch supporter of the Whitehall and believes he now has a better appreciation of its problems.
“I decided that I would come up and do the show no matter what, though I knew the theatre had only reopened last week,” he said. “That didn’t leave much time to sell tickets and I knew there wouldn’t be many there apart from die-hard supporters of (a) me and (b) the theatre.
“It was quite sad to see what was happening at the place and I think what it needs as well as support from the community is someone who knows about showbusiness.
“With the best intentions in the world, the people who work there are terrific but they are volunteers and they need a leader. When I pulled up, the place looked derelict and there were still posters up outside for shows that ended in August none of me at all.’Folly'”I didn’t like to point out to them the folly of that. The posters saying I was there basically didn’t go up outside until 20 minutes after I arrived and the box office didn’t open until 45 minutes before the curtain went up and this is not the way to do things.
“The staff there are fantastic but what I would like to see is someone who understands the business come in not just a trust or a council.
“It needs someone with experience of running theatres but, of course, they can’t afford to pay anyone. So, though I really hate the expression, they’re stuck in a Catch-22 situation.”
The comedian suggested the best hope may be to seek ties with another popular theatre, such as the Pavilion in Glasgow, so it could draw on the management’s expertise and perhaps benefit from booking some of the same acts.’Wonderful staff'”It needs someone to take it in hand for a while and work in tandem with the people who are there,” Davidson continued. “The Whitehall has more love from its staff than I have ever felt in any other theatre. It’s a little community theatre and has wonderful staff.
“The sound and lighting people have ancient equipment but they worked their butts off and couldn’t do enough for you. They would sweat blood for the Whitehall compared to some theatres where the staff don’t really care so whoever does come in has a readymade team.”
“I do care about the place and there is hope for it,” he added.
The theatre’s previous management company collapsed last month, prompting an energetic campaign to save it, which was spearheaded by members of local musical societies.
The company’s difficulties have been put down to escalating costs coupled with a decline in the number of quality touring shows and the falling popularity of amateur productions, such as Sounds Spectacular and the Gang Show.
Dundee City Council has now proposed that the day-to-day running of the theatre becomes the responsibility of its offshoot Leisure and Culture Dundee and is working with the Whitehall Theatre Trust, which owns the building, to develop that plan.