Falkirk Operatic: Shrek will go ahead despite town hall closure

Falkirk Operatic Society will now perform their Easter show of ‘Shrek: The Musical’ at St Mungo’s High School in Bainsford, thanks to support from Falkirk Council which has agreed to help the company foot the hefty bill to bring everybody’s favourite ogre to the stage.

The society’s president, Carol Sutherland, said she is delighted that they now have “somewhere to go” for their show in April, which they had originally expected to perform at Falkirk Town Hall.

The company, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, was one of several local groups left reeling with the sudden news in September that the Town Hall was closing for good, before its replacement had even been agreed.

Falkirk Council told them that separating the town hall from the ageing municipal buildings would cost around £6 million – and still leave them with a theatre that was ‘not fit for purpose’. Councillors reluctantly agreed that closure was the only option but promised that companies affected would be given support to find other venues.

The timing could not have been worse for Falkirk Opera, who had already paid out thousands of pounds to secure the performance rights for the musical, along with substantial deposits for costumes, and scenery designed to fit Falkirk Town Hall.

Finding another venue was far from easy for a show the size of Shrek. The only possible candidates were St Mungo’s or Larbert High – and the cost of hiring either school for a week was far beyond an amateur company. Not only was the venue itself more expensive, extra sound equipment was also needed to match the town hall standards.

A budget of £10,000 that Falkirk Council had allocated to help all of the companies affected relocate was inadequate. However, after being presented with the costs facing the company, Falkirk councillors have agreed to use some of the cash that had been allocated to a new district-wide arts programme.

“We’re delighted we’ve been able to secure the school because Shrek is such a big show – the scenery is quite extensive and the cast is quite large as you can imagine. It’s not ideal for us but we are happy that the council has stepped up and done what they said they would. To be fair, they have listened to us and they have been helpful,” said Carol.

The show is being held in the second week of the Easter holidays as the school is not available for a week-long run during term-time.

She’s confident that audiences will love ‘Shrek: the Musical’, based on the much-loved Dreamworks film, where ogres, princesses and dragons mix with the likes of the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs.

The move to St Mungo’s is not quite a happy-ever-after ending, however, as the council budget won’t stretch to subsidising future years.

“Going forward, we don’t have a home,” said Carol.

They have still to decide what they will do next year – they may find a smaller venue or perhaps do some fundraising concerts to get them in better financial shape to survive the next few years.

But they are determined to survive. Their society is decades older than the current town hall and , with the exception only of the First and Second World War years and the coronavirus pandemic, has put on a show every year for 120 years.

Carol is hopeful that the new venue – promised for Falkirk High Street – will come “sooner rather later”. It would be a tragedy for the area if they didn’t build one.”