Perth Theatre, where Ewan McGregor first took up acting as a young man, has just received one of four lottery grants which will go towards reinstating the theatre to the grandeur it once had when it was first built.
McGregor first went to the Scottish theatre as a teenager where he took up acting and worked to save for Drama College.
Perth theatre has since received a lot of success; just last season sixty thousand people came through its doors. Despite its popularity the theatre was in desperate need of renovation, which this grant will help to achieve.
The restoration project includes installing top of the range theatre stage lighting. This will help the theatre reach the 21st century with sound and visual effects unheard of when it was first built in the 1900s.
As well as the stage lighting will be new stage sound systems, seating, orchestra pit and brand new back stage facilities.
The top of the project check list is for the 800 seat auditorium to be reinstated to make viewing more comfortable for the audience.
This week Ewan McGregor went to Perth Theatre and had his picture taken with young actors and actresses to celebrate the lottery grant and the proposed plans for improvement to the theatre.
He spoke to many budding theatre-goers on his visit and said the project was very exciting and a great investment for future generations of actors and actresses,
“For me it was the start of a career, but for many others, participation in arts activities is an equally life changing way of broadening horizons, boosting confidence and self worth and encouraging creativity in all walks of life. To be a part of a collective, creative endeavour at the heart of a working theatre is an unforgettable experience.”
Other theatres to receive grants will include The Kings Theatre in Glasgow, the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh and Campbeltown Picture House.