Falkirk Town Hall is to close in February 2023 after serving the town and local communities since the 1970s. The decision was made today by Falkirk Council that after Big Bad Wolf’s production of ‘School of Rock’, the main theatre venue in the Falkirk area would close.
This is a huge blow to the local community who travel to the theatre to see some of the biggest acts in the Forth Valley region. Not only this but Falkirk and the surrounding areas is a hot spot for talent with many amateur and professional companies being severally affected and displaced by the Town Hall’s closure.
Originally the closure was to happen after this year’s panto ‘Sleeping Beauty’ which is being produced by Imagine Theatre. The council have permitted an extension on the Hall being opened until the curtain has fallen on one of the community’s biggest youth theatre productions in the form of Big Bad Wolf’s ‘School of Rock’ which is running from 30th January till 4th February 2023.
The Town Hall has seen many big names play it’s stage, however the community spirit which it embodies with the history of productions from Falkirk Children’s Theatre (Falkirk Youth Theatre), Falkirk Operatic Society and Falkirk Bohemians, which routinely seen full houses, is going to be absent once the theatre’s walls fall.
The local council have promised to assist companies in being housed elsewhere with schools, Bo’ness Town Hall, the Dobbie Hall and Grangemouth Town Hall being suggested as alternatives. This is all until a new arts facility has been built. When that is, well… the council have given no indication.
Falkirk Council has made it clear that the Town Hall was in very poor condition and was no longer in a quality state to continue.
Falkirk’s arts have seen severe cuts over the last ten years, with companies dwindling, professional commissions also reducing and even the local college (Forth Valley College) failing to supply an Acting and Performance or Musical Theatre course despite a new multi-million-pound state of the art campus being built. This has led aspiring performers to relocate and study in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dunfermline.
Many of those who originated from Falkirk and are involved in the arts industry are joining those involved in local theatre companies to encourage Falkirk Council to facilitate more for those who wish to participate in theatre and the arts.
Theatre Scotland stands with the local companies in Falkirk and hope that a new venue is built within the coming years that will see the arts in the Forth Valley area flourish once more.
Theatre Scotland 