Dundee Rep chiefs say its £32,000 cut from the council budget will significantly impact the theatre’s offering.
Last week councillors passed the budget which sees more than 10% slashed from funding for The Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre.
It remains a fixture on the city’s cultural map.
But the award-winning theatre now faces “inevitable” changes to what it can offer after the council decision.
The Rep will receive £286,000 from Dundee City Council next year, down from £318,000 in both 2024 and 2023.
And it is already running at a loss, having posted a £667,000 pre-tax deficit in its annual accounts to March 31 2024.
This follows an even larger loss of £810,000 the year before.
Dundee Rep budget cut
Locals took part in a large consultation leading up to the budget being set.
Rep bosses claim it was “clear” from the survey how important the theatre was to locals.
A spokesperson for The Rep added: “During the budget consultation, Dundee residents made it clear how important Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre is to them, with a significant proportion of respondents stating that our funding should not be cut at all when asked directly, making the council’s decision to reduce our funding starker.
“At a time of increasing social isolation and a growing mental health crisis, the work we do to address societal issues has never been more vital.
“This 10.1% cut to our Dundee City Council funding is deeply disappointing and will inevitably limit our ability to support those who need it most with a reduction to the offer we can make for local people.
“We will make details of the changes required, because of this decision by the council, available in the coming weeks as part of our 2025/26 budgeting process.”
Dundee City Council budget
Councillors agreed the city’s budget last month at a meeting which saw a number of savings and tax increases introduced.
Council tax will go up by 8%, while a number of city cultural institutions will face either drastic funding cuts or — in the case of Caird Park golf course — be scrapped entirely.
Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) and Dundee Science Centre have also had their council funding reduced.
However, a series of cultural investments were also approved.
These included additional £50,000 to Leisure and Culture Dundee to support the continued opening of Broughty Castle on a reduced hours basis.
An additional £300,000 for the recruitment of additional seasonal environment staff and to support ongoing community clear up works has also been pledged.
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