Bill - you've made me cry again! I have done way too much crying this past week.
I'm gonna pitch in on this MUSIC site and tell a little bit about the threatre side of things at the Tree - bet some of you never even know there was a theatre?
Anyway I was the theatre/dance/kids shows programmer there for the last 5 years and I am angry & upset - but not for me
I am angry for all the 700 kids who were supposed to be there on Wednesday & Thursday to see a show for their Christmas nursery/school treat. My own son's school included. It broke my heart to tell him he wouldn't be going.
I am angry for the 40 or so mentally & phiysically disabled adults who come to their drama group every Tuesday night. They were the last ever group to use the venue before the locks were changed. If you have ever seen a Va Va Voom show you will know how truly special in so many ways that strand of the Lemon Tree's work was.
I am angry for the 50+ Chior & Theatre Group who meet weekly and were supposed to have their Christmas show on Friday. The wonderful men & women of Vocal Moves & Theatre Serindipity - I salute you.
I'm angry that the only choice of kids theatre in the city will be the Singing Kettle, Cbeebies, Lazytown and the likes. Are HMT and AECC going to be interested in putting on theatre for special needs children with makaton signing and limited audience capacity of 40? And theatre for under 3's for 20 kids at a time? So many kids have had their first ever experience of theatre at the Tree - that is now lost.
What choice now will there be to see theatre in Aberdeen? Andrew Lloyd Webber et al musicals at His Majestys at £30 a ticket or amateur drama groups at The Arts Centre. How dissapointing to have the Oil Capital of Europe with nowhere to support a culturally diverse, bold, innovative and high quality programme of theatre, dance and children’s performances.
I am personally gutted at all the performances I have had to cancel that were booked for 2008 - particular highlights included Tam O'Shanter Shadow Puppet Show, Dave Benson Phillips – Get Up and Go Show (YES - the real DBP form Get Your Own Back) Mull Theatre – Katie Morag, European kids shows as part of the Bank of Scotland Children's International Theatre Festival, Stellar Quines – The Unconquered (CATS award for Best New Play) and lastly a 3 night run of Iain Banks The Wasp Factory which I was convinced may even have enticed some muso's to come and see a theatre show!
I can see that some of the music acts who appeared at the Lemon Tree can now be slotted into other venues but I can't think of any viabale alternatives where the theatre/dance/kids shows could be performed elsewhere in Aberdeen - there simply is nowhere. Well except for the new £20 million Union Terrace gardens Contemporary Arts Centre. But surely thats just a co-incidence?
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