A leading St Andrews thespian says he has “sympathy” with Equity’s views that plans to lease the Byre Theatre to St Andrews University could be “catastrophic”.
Former Byre chief executive Alan Tricker was also secretary of Friends of the Byre and a leading member of St Andrews Play Club.
He has questioned whether organisations would have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds into the theatre over the years if they had known they might ultimately be pouring money into university teaching facilities.
He noted, however, that St Andrews University was the only organisation willing to take on the Byre without a large subsidy from Fife Council and Creative Scotland.
And he has urged interested parties to push for an assurance the university honours its commitment to revitalise a community-focused theatre.
Fife Council’s executive committee agreed last week the university should be the preferred bidder to lease and run the theatre, subject to terms being arranged.
The plan has been billed as a “rescue” of the venue, which ran into financial difficulties in 2013.
The university bid was preferred over those from Fife Cultural Trust and former Byre employee Stephen Sinclair.
However, actors’ union Equity is concerned about the loss of a producing theatre in St Andrews and the turning over of a lottery-funded theatre building to the university for use as a lecture hall.
Mr Tricker told The Courier: “I have been involved in amdram for years but I was on the Byre Board for 30 years trying to keep professional theatre alive in St Andrews.
“I saw the letter from Lorne Boswell of Equity.
“I have some sympathy with the view as in the late 1990s the £4m-plus lottery money was channelled through Scottish Arts Council to rebuild a professional theatre.
“The trusts that also put money into the rebuild like the Lawrence Levy Foundation paid the money to support a professional theatre.
“Local people and other trusts also ploughed thousands into the new build. All of this was to support a professional theatre that was rooted in the local community.
“I don’t think any would have provided that support for new teaching facilities for a university.”
He added: “The successor to SAC Creative Scotland did contribute to the demise of the Byre by removing regular funding.
“From 2008 the Byre no longer had a resident professional company, although it did welcome professional theatre and there were co-productions at Christmas and other times.
“The Byre had to reinvent itself. At its demise in 2013 it was not the professional producing theatre it had been in 2008.
“Having said that, there is no one apart from St Andrews University willing to take on the Byre without a large subsidy from Fife Council and Creative Scotland.
“This is the time for community groups, professional theatre companies, youth theatres, festival organisers, private companies and individuals to ensure the university does honour its commitment to revitalise a community-focused theatre which can be there for the benefit of both town and gown.”
The university’s bid was the only one not constructed around continued use of the theatre as a producing house.
It will see the organisation pay £300 a year rent for 25 years and includes an option to buy clause.
The university-published plans include limited use of the Byre as a theatre, in particular for an annual pantomime and availability to community groups. It would be a lecture hall and the administrative base of the university’s music centre.