A frustrated St Andrews woman has dipped into her own pocket to put on a show at a Fife theatre.
Sylvia Donaldson, whose association with the Byre Theatre in St Andrews goes back to the days of its founder, the late A.B. Paterson, said she was determined to bring the famous venue “to life again”.
A Byre board member in the founder’s time and a volunteer front of house manager in its final year, she said: “I can still see no opening of the Byre properly for a while and even when it does open, it will be nothing like it was before, I suppose.
“So I have decided to do something by myself. I have hired the Byre for Saturday May 31 at my own cost and I am bringing the winner of the recent SCDA Fife One Act Play Festival to perform their award-winning Hard to Swallow.”
Aberdour Players’ Youth Theatre won many awards at the festival, including being the festival winner. They won Best Ensemble Playing, Best Production and Best Moment in Theatre.
They also went on to win the youth festival competition outright and now go through to the Scottish final in Nairn in June.
Sylvia added: “This is a serious play performed with great sensitivity and maturity for a young cast and a performance which deserves to be seen by a wider audience.”
“SO I hope to get the fantastic building that is the Byre Theatre alive again for even just one night.”
She explained there had only been three events held since the Byre went into liquidation a jazz festival, Stanza and Guizards production.
She said it was “great to have the building a vibrant place again.”
Tickets for the show are £6 and can be bought from Occasions card shop in Market Street, St Andrews, from the door or by phoning Sylvia on 01334 473 279.
Last month, Fife Council’s executive committee agreed St Andrews University should be the preferred bidder to lease and run the theatre for community and university use.
The university bid won favour over plans by Fife Cultural Trust and former Byre employee Stephen Sinclair.
However, actors’ union Equity condemned the university’s involvement as potentially “catastrophic” for professional theatre in the town.
Grant Ward, head of leisure and cultural services at Fife Council, confirmed a meeting had taken place last week as part of ongoing discussions.
He said: “Discussions are taking place with the university and Creative Scotland to ensure the proposed lease agreement fully reflects the need for ongoing community access to the Byre.
“As part of a process of wider engagement, a constructive meeting with a number of arts, music and theatre groups was facilitated last week by the Friends of The Byre.
“Both council and university were represented and responded to a range of questions regarding access and programming.
“The views expressed on the night will help inform the lease agreement, which is expected to be finalised within the next month.”
A spokesman for St Andrews University wished Mrs Donaldson “every success” with her show this weekend.
The spokesman said: “It will be great to see the Byre open again and hope her production is a big success.
“It’s exactly this kind of thing we would hope to see more of if our bid to take on the running of the theatre is successful.
“We had a very helpful and positive meeting with theatre users and supporters last week and this is helping to inform a detailed lease agreement.”
The spokesman added the Byre will be open again very soon with a major production of the comic opera Albert Herring by St Andrews Opera, directed by Michael Downes, the St Andrews University director of music.
The cast will consist almost entirely of current St Andrews undergraduates, joined by two young professional singers and two local children playing the part of Harry, a young boy.
They are working with a London-based professional director, Tania Holland Williams and Michael Downes as musical director.
There will be a professional orchestra drawn from players all across Scotland with help from Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre Royal, including Robin Peoples (set designer) and Tamsyn Mackay (lighting designer).
Performances for that show at the Byre will take place at 7.30pm on June 15, 16 and 17.
Tickets are available from the Music Centre office in the Younger Hall on 01334 462 226, or email music@st-andrews.ac.uk.
The production will then be touring to Perth Concert Hall on June 28.
The university spokesman added:”We hope that this will give St Andrews a flavour of the quality and scale of production which theatre users and patrons might expect to see at the Byre in future.”
malexander@thecourier.co.uk