The Stage

Students and drama groups campaign to save Glasgow’s Ramshorn Theatre

Published Tuesday 17 November 2009 at 15:20 by Lalayn Baluch

Students and actors are protesting after the University of Strathclyde revealed it is planning to close Glasgow’s Ramshorn Theatre as part of a scheme to “reduce the size of its estate” and refocus its resources on becoming a leading technological centre.

The theatre is based within the 1720-built Ramshorn Church in the centre of Glasgow - known as the Merchant City - and serves as home to the university’s Drama Centre and local performance company the Strathclyde Theatre Group.

It is also used by touring groups such as Trestle Theatre Company and hosts events featuring leading Scottish writers, including Ian Rankin, William Mcllvanney and Edwin Morgan.

As part of the ten-year plan, the university wants to “relinquish” the theatre and relocate the drama centre to a new multifunctional building.

The news has been met with outcry by members of the theatre, who have created a 1,300-strong group on Facebook. They have vowed to campaign to save the theatre and have written letters of appeal to the university’s principal Jim McDonald.

Susan Triesman, director of drama at the university, who is leading the campaign, fears that a new high-tech building will be a “dead space”.

She also believes that the proposal will impact the viability of STG - which comprises both students and local actors, and has been running for 40 years.

“The vision is to move the university outside of the city centre and move northwards. STG has always been a city centre company and it is easy for people to come here,” she said.

“We work on a very small budget from the university and most of what we earn is through ticket sales. We are in a very beautiful building, which is much loved in Glasgow. If we were moved north, there is absolutely nothing there and I think it would be really hard to get the audience to follow us.”

A university spokesperson said it wants to “relinquish” the theatre before 2020, as part of a wider plan to “dispose of buildings that are either in poor condition or would be potentially too costly to retain”.

She said the future of the Strathclyde Theatre Group had yet to be discussed and added: “We appreciate that full consultation will be essential in any such process. The provision of alternative space will need to be explored, including the extent to which it could be multifunctional, so that we obtain maximum return on the investment.”