North Lanarkshire Council has confirmed its annual pantomime will have a new home in 2025.
For the past two years, the panto has been held at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility following the sudden closure of Motherwell Concert Hall.
However, it has been decided to move the panto to Airdrie Town Hall beginning with next year’s production.
A council spokesperson said: “Now that the decision has been made to close Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall, it’s important that we find a permanent home for the beloved pantomime.
“Ravenscraig Regional Sports Centre temporarily housed the annual show but Airdrie Town Hall has proven to be a venue that audiences can enjoy and has established itself as an outstanding and accessible home for performing arts in North Lanarkshire.
“We look forward to continuing to thrill audiences, young and old, with the pantomime at Airdrie Town Hall for years to come.”
Earlier this month, the council confirmed Motherwell Civic Theatre and Concert Hall will be demolished following the identification of significant structural issues.
An assessment revealed that 95 per cent of the roof contains Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), placing it at a ‘high’ to ‘critical’ risk level.
The estimated costs to replace and repair this roof section are projected to be between £10.5 million and £11.65 million – a financial burden that the council considers “unsustainable”.
A report prepared for councillors said that the estimated cost to demolish the concert hall and civic theatre would be £1.65m.
One man who is unhappy with the change of venue is Motherwell man Sam Harvey who has started an online petition against the proposals.
He said: “I am a Motherwell resident. The panto is a long standing tradition. It has provided joy for generations for members of the local community.
“The panto has given lots of people in the theatre industry their first break.
“This is not a popular move and feels like another blow for the town of Motherwell which will not have any major live theatre through the year.
“When it was announced the concert hall was closing, the quote at the time from Jim Logue leader of the council was that ‘the hugely popular pantomime will continue to have a home at Ravenscraig’.
“Airdrie Town Hall is not as local for residents of Motherwell. It is unlikely a large percentage will make the trip instead either not enjoying a Panto or going to Hamilton, Glasgow or other more accessible pantos.
“It is likely when the Panto leaves the town it will not return.”
You can view Sam’s petition online by logging onto https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-panto-in-motherwell?
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