Montrose Playhouse enjoys blockbuster first month

Montrose Playhouse’s first month has surpassed all expectations of those who are behind the community facility’s creation.
Mark Dowie
By Mark Dowie
Published 14th Dec 2021, 16:46 BST
Updated 14th Dec 2021, 16:47 BST
Pictured (from left) Lynn Sayer, David Paton, Montrose Playhouse board chairman and Matt Buchanan, venue manager.Pictured (from left) Lynn Sayer, David Paton, Montrose Playhouse board chairman and Matt Buchanan, venue manager.
Pictured (from left) Lynn Sayer, David Paton, Montrose Playhouse board chairman and Matt Buchanan, venue manager.

The cinema and arts centre opened to the public at the start of October after a three-year fundraising and construction project to transform the town’s old swimming pool into a community hub, spearheaded by a group of committed local volunteers.

With an annual projected sales line of over £1million, the team is celebrating a launch with sales figures 6% ahead of target for the first two months of operation.

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Matt Buchanan, venue manager, said: “We have been blown away by the number of people who want to come and spend an evening with us - particularly the 1200 people who have taken out paid memberships to support us long term.

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The playhouse finally opened its doors in October. (Andy Thompson Photography)The playhouse finally opened its doors in October. (Andy Thompson Photography)
The playhouse finally opened its doors in October. (Andy Thompson Photography)

“With our cafe and bar now open and the festive season in full swing, we are looking forward to a busy period as more and more people come for nights out, time with the family - or even time away from the family - and immerse themselves in the wonder of cinema.”

To date, the Playhouse has hosted more than 500 screenings since the opening weekend, with over 16,000 tickets sold and the new James Bond film, ‘No Time to Die’, accounting for 50% of those sales.

This has been great news to the team from Montrose Port Authority, which has a vested interest as sponsors of the Playhouse box office.

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Business and Commercial Manager at Montrose Port Authority, Lynn Sayer, said: “We are delighted that so many local people, many of our team included, are making such regular use of this amazing facility and we are sure that there is a long and vibrant future in store for the arts in Montrose.”

As well as being a cinema and arts centre, the Playhouse is primarily a community facility with a number of local groups already taking residence including the BNI networking group, Baby Massage and Tai Chi, with bookings from other groups like charities as well as live music and a DJ club night in the pipeline.

The Playhouse Project, which began life as a simple regeneration idea for a community cinema in 2013, has evolved over a number of years following huge local community interest and involvement

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