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The Gaiety Theatre is a category B listed performing arts venue in Ayr, Scotland. [1] It is noted for its interior rococo features, its atmosphere and its acoustics.
The Ayr Gaiety was built in 1902, reconstructed after a fire in 1904, its façade remodeled in 1935, and further reinstated after a fire in 1955. In 1995, an annex was constructed, including a new café, box office, dressing rooms and studio space. After a faltering start, which saw several years as a cinema after World War I, the theatre was bought by Ben Popplewell, from Bradford who already had a track record of success running the Pavilion theatre on Ayr seafront. For fifty years the Popplewell family ran the theatre – latterly as part of the Glasgow Pavilion business. [2] During this time the Gaiety developed a reputation as a variety theatre with a ‘summer’ variety show – the Gaiety Whirl – which ran for 26 weeks at its height. Many Scottish and UK stars appeared regularly on its stage, and several started their careers there. The programme offered more than a summer show however, with several weeks of Shakespeare and regular transfers from Glasgow Citizens theatre, being part of a varied offer. After seventy years in private ownership the local Council acquired the Gaiety theatre freehold in 1974. It then operated as a municipal theatre under direct local authority management. The programming had much in common with the Popplewell years, with the Gaiety Whirl still a feature and the, by now, popular panto at the core of the programme. But the scope of performances developed and, while the family oriented theme continued, a wider range of presentations developed, including controversial shows such as Borderline Theatres production of Dario Fo’s Mistero Buffo and a touring version of Oh Calcutta! After many years of successful operation the theatre began to lose audiences and the Council felt the revenue subsidy it provided and the requirement for capital investment required a new approach. In January 2009 the theatre closed, leaving Ayr without a theatre – as the Civic Theatre, which had mainly presented drama, had been closed and demolished a little earlier due to asbestos contamination problems.
The closure met with considerable opposition and dismay among many Ayr residents, particularly since it appeared that the required capital and revenue investment to reopen the theatre would not be available. A public meeting attracted over 400 attendees, the future of the theatre was a key issue in the local press, many Scottish performers expressed their dismay and there was extensive discussion on social media.
In early 2009 South Ayrshire Council invited tenders to take on the theatre management. Ayr Gaiety Partnership (AGP), a charity formed by local residents for the purpose in Summer 2009, secured preferred bidder status. Just over three years later, having secured financial backing from the Council and Scottish Government, as well as from local fundraising, AGP took on a 99-year lease of the theatre with a vision to do much more than simply re-open the building. Ayr Gaiety Partnerships vision is 'to re-energise the performing arts in South Ayrshire, with the Gaiety Theatre as the hub of a network of venues that will stimulate the cultural life and economic prosperity of the area ensuring that Ayr will once again be a key destination for all those interested in the performing arts.'
From the start the organisation set ambitious social, economic and cultural goals. But the first priority was to re-open with a successful panto. On 11 December 2012, after many last minute challenges, the Gaiety re-opened for what turned out to be a sell-out run of over 40 performances of the panto Cinderella.
The Ayr Gaiety Partnership is a charitable body formed by local community figures, with membership open to local residents. The directors at present are: Ian Welsh, David Quayle, Chris Fremantle, Graham Peterkin, and Professor Gayle McPherson.
Membership is open to local residents and others with an interest in the theatre. Ayr Gaiety Partnership's first General Meeting is set to take place on 13 October 2014.
The new Ayr Gaiety is unlike most theatres in the UK because it is largely run through voluntary effort. Most of the people undertaking front of house, technical, fundraising, marketing and maintenance are doing so on a voluntary basis. Although the volunteering effort overall is led by the Executive Director and Board- each volunteer team is supported and led by one of the staff team members.
The Gaiety's current full-time staff team consists of just nine employees led by Executive Director Jeremy Wyatt.
The School of Media, Culture & Society at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and the Gaiety Theatre officially launched Scotland’s first Learning Theatre on Friday 19 September 2014. The launch event, which saw representatives from UWS, the Gaiety, as well as the National Theatre of Scotland in attendance, marks the first stage in the development of the partnership Learning Theatre, which will provide a centre for education, training and research in the area of performance and theatre craft.
UWS enjoys close links with the Gaiety and the University’s new BA Technical Theatre degree, delivered in conjunction with the Theatre, had its first intake in September. The course offers thorough vocational training for those looking to work in stage management and theatre production. Students will gain professional knowledge of the industry and will be prepared for a variety of employment opportunities from small-scale theatres to large multi-media events, venues and festivals. The course is aimed at those with a range of theatre, performance, production and related HND qualifications to enable them to build to a degree award in Technical Theatre. Students from the University's undergraduate Performance programme also make regular use of the theatre's facilities.
East Ayrshire is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Road, Kilmarnock. With South Ayrshire and the mainland areas of North Ayrshire, it formed the former county of Ayrshire.
South Ayrshire is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2020, the population of South Ayrshire was 112,140.
Ayr is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population of 46,780, Ayr is the 14th largest settlement in Scotland. The town is contiguous with the smaller town of Prestwick to the north.
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council. With a population of 46,770, Kilmarnock is the 15th most populated place in Scotland and the largest town in Ayrshire.
The University of the West of Scotland, formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. The present institution dates from August 2007, following the merger of the University of Paisley with Bell College, Hamilton. It can trace its roots to the late 19th century, and has undergone numerous name changes and mergers over the last century, reflecting its gradual expansion throughout the west of Scotland region.
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Kyle and Carrick was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996.
The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows.
Kyle is a former comital district of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It is said to be named after Coel Hen, a king of the Britons, who was reputedly killed in battle in this area and is said to be buried in a cairn near Mauchline.
Adèle King is an Irish entertainer better known as Twink. She is the mother of singer Chloë Agnew from the group Celtic Woman.
The Barrfields Pavilion Theatre is a 500-seat theatre at Barrfields, Largs, North Ayrshire.
The Centrum Arena was a 2,733 seat ice arena in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland that opened on 25 August 1996. The arena was used during the winter months for recreational ice skating and ice hockey matches. In the summer months, the arena was used for various events such as the Chinese State Circus. The Centrum was famous as being the home of the Ayr Scottish Eagles ice hockey club from 1996 until 2002. The building was located at 125 Ayr Road on public land and was demolished in 2009. Today the site is occupied by a supermarket.
Somerset Park is a football stadium located in Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It has been the home of Ayr United since they were founded in 1910. Prior to that, it was the home ground of Ayr, who merged with Ayr Parkhouse to form Ayr United.
Kyle Academy is a non-denominational secondary school in Ayr, serving the south east of Ayr in South Ayrshire. The roll of Kyle Academy school in 2019–2020 was 819 with a staffing complement equivalent to 58 full time teachers. The current head teacher of Kyle Academy is Mary Byrne who took over the position of head teacher from Lyndsay McRoberts, who was also joint head teacher of nearby Ayr Academy.
Doonfoot is a suburb in the south-west of Ayr, South Ayrshire.
Ayr Academy is a non-denominational secondary school situated within the Craigie Estate area at University Avenue in Ayr, South Ayrshire. It is a comprehensive school for children of ages 11–18 from Ayr. Ayr Academy's catchment area covers Newton-on-Ayr, Whitletts and the outlying villages of Coylton, Annbank, and Mossblown.
James Hunter Blair was a noted Scottish historic preservationist, landowner and forester. His family's 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) estate, Blairquhan, is located near Straiton in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Coylton is a village and civil parish in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is five miles east of Ayr and 2+1⁄2 miles west of Drongan, on the A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly dates to the 13th century. A rocking stone stands atop the Craigs of Kyle near Coylton. It weighs about 30 tons and rests upon two stones. A large standing stone known as Wallace's Stone stands nearby. The village is also home to a parish church of the Gothic style, built in 1832.
The Rhoda McGaw Theatre is part of the entertainment complex adjacent to the Peacock Centre in Woking, Surrey.
The Theatre Royal in Dumfries, Scotland is the oldest working theatre in Scotland. The Theatre is owned by the Guild of Players who bought it in 1959, thereby saving it from demolition. The Guild's aim is to promote the tradition of live theatre in Dumfries. It is the venue for the Guild of Players' own productions and for performances from visiting companies. In addition it is used extensively as a venue for the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, the Dumfries Music Festival and the Dumfries Musical Theatre Company.
