Stage and screen stars have thrown their weight behind a campaign to halt the closure of a long-running Scottish theatre.
Two Doors Down star Elaine C Smith, Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, as well as Blythe Duff and Colin McCredie, of Taggart fame, are among the leading actors demanding a re-think over the plight of Cumbernauld Theatre.
They have spoken out after the Lanarkshire theatre, which dates back to 1963, warned that it would be forced to close in 2026 if it could not raise £300,000 by mid-December.
The theatre was plunged into turmoil in January when it lost its long-term Scottish Government funding despite ministers pledging to invest an additional £34 million in the current financial year.
Government arts agency Creative Scotland, which rejected a three-year funding bid from the theatre in January, has provided £200,000 in “transition support” for this financial year, reports our sister title The Herald.
The theatre’s chief executive, Sarah Price, has since resigned and been replaced on an interim basis Patricia Stead, a former executive and chief executive of the Tron Theatre in Glasgow.
She launched a campaign to “save” Cumbernauld Theatre last month when she claimed that Creative Scotland has ruled out continuing its transition funding into 2026.
Creative Scotland has highlighted a number of alternative funding routes open to the theatre, which moved into Lanternhouse, a new building it runs jointly with North Lanarkshire Council, just four years ago.
However the theatre, which previously had £266,000 in annual government funding, has warned Creative Scotland, the Scottish Government and the council that it will be unable to continue as a “going concern” unless it can secure £300,000 for the next financial year.
Actress and comic Elaine C Smith, star of Two Doors Down and Rab N Nesbitt, said: “‘I am so saddened and sorry to hear that Cumbernauld Theatre and the wonderful Lanternhouse facility is under threat.
“I have such wonderful memories of the theatre and feel so proud to have started my early career there. I toured there many times with the 7.84, Wildcat and Borderline theatre companies and chose to open my first one-woman show, Shirley Valentine, there.
“Audiences were always fantastic and that support from the surrounding community is what all theatres hope to create.
“I would urge Creative Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council to reconsider this vital resource- one of very few in the area and allow it to thrive and flourish.”
Forbes Masson, who formed the double act Victor and Barry with Alan Cumming when the pair were drama students in Glasgow more than 40 years ago, said: “I was taken to Cumbernauld Theatre in the 1970s when I was a teenager at Woodlands High Secondary School in Falkirk and saw my first Wildcat show there, Dummies.
“It was a phenomenal experience. I had never seen anything like it - a Scottish political musical with brilliant performances by Terry Neason and Dave Anderson. Getting into our school minibus and coming through to Cumbernauld Theatre fired up my interest in theatre and made me decide to make it my career.
“I was lucky to work there, touring with plays like Great Expectations in the late 1980s, a one-man play, Lust, by Iain Heggie in the 1990s, and played Stan Laurel with Ronnie Simon as Oliver Hardy in Tom McGrath's 'Laurel and Hardy.'
“Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Alan Cumming and I performed 'Victor and Barry' to full houses in Cumbernauld.
“The theatre is such a valuable asset to the whole community, bringing soul to the town, boosting the local economy, and being a hub for both the young and the not-so-young. I really hope it survives.”
Alan Cumming added: “Like so many people, I have such happy memories of Cumbernauld Theatre. To think of it disappearing is a tragedy for the arts in Scotland, and therefore all Scots.”
Taggart star Blythe Duff, who has appeared in the hit stage shows Wild Rose and Small Acts of Love this year, said: “I have so many first-hand experiences of the hugely valuable creative and community space that is Cumbernauld Theatre, from wonderful experiences acting there in the 1980s and 1990s under Robert Robson and Liz Carruthers to joining the board in the 1990s.
“This story is sadly familiar. We had to fight for the theatre then. This organisation makes an enormous contribution to the lives of the people living in and around Cumbernauld.
“For six decades it has given so many, from the young to the elderly, reasons to come together, a place to build confidence and somewhere to enjoy fantastic theatre, music and films without having to travel miles.
“These spaces are lifelines for some and important to many. we need to recognise their role and their impact, and to find the means to support them.”
Colin McCredie, who is also best-known for his long-running role in Taggart, said: “I first performed in Cumbernauld 1984 with the Scottish Youth Theatre and again while I was a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
“It is essential we save and protect our local theatres. They inspire young people and bring professional art to the community. We can’t lose another gem of the Scottish theatre scene.”
Theatre producer Gillian Garrity, co-founder of the company Raw Material, said: “We are devastated to hear about potential loss of Cumbernauld Theatre.
“As a non-building based producing house it is crucial for us to work in partnership with our key Scottish venues.
“The team at Cumbernauld has been consistently supportive of our working model. Their support of technical and marketing resources, as well as space to rehearse and preview in over the years, has been important in our development as an organisation.”
Ms Stead said: “We’ve been truly warmed and humbled by the response from our communities, our audiences and our peers across the arts.
"This organisation and its history clearly mean a huge amount, we already knew that, but hearing it from the mouths of many has given us yet more determination to save Cumbernauld Theatre.
“We continue to be in contact with the Scottish Government, North Lanarkshire Council and Creative Scotland at a senior level. We call on all parties to work with us to find a practical and pragmatic solution that will allow Cumbernauld Theatre to continue serving the people of Cumbernauld from these brilliant purpose built facilities at Lanternhouse.
A spokesperson for the government said: “Cumbernauld Theatre is an important asset for its community and the wider culture sector.
"Culture Secretary Angus Robertson recently met with representatives of the theatre. The Scottish Government is continuing to work with them and their partners to support them to find a way through their current challenges.”
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