Celebrations as future of West Lothian theatre is guaranteed

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The long-term future of Howden Park Centre has been secured.Councillors have now approved plans to lease the theatre to Bathgate’s Reconnect Regal Theatre until February 2035.Programming and marketing support for the venue will continue to be provided, in partnership, by West Lothian Council, particularly in relation to ongoing development of the venue’s community programme and related partnerships, alongside general promotion of venue activity via council social media channels.Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “This is really good news for users of Howden park Centre and we are delighted to have reached this agreement to secure Howden Park Centre’s future.“The centre is critical to the culture and arts scene in West Lothian.

There’s been an enormous amount of work undertaken by Reconnect and the council to reach this point and a good outcome for the centre, customers and the people of West Lothian.”The key elements of Reconnect SCIO’s approved bid include:• The facility will be used as a theatre and arts venue and as the permanent base for Firefly Arts for the duration of the lease period• An ambitious and enhanced programme of artistic activity would be provided, building on what is currently offered with in-house production of pantomime, musicals and plays, a touring programme, a visiting companies programme, development and introduction of a special outdoor events programme, and continued engagement work with local schools and community groups.• Implementation of a new two-venue operating model from 1 April 2024, spanning Howden Park Centre, Livingston, and the Regal Theatre, Bathgate, in order to achieve ongoing efficiencies via economies of scale, a more streamlined and integrated approach