More than 360,000 people attended more than 700 performances at Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA) venues in the last financial year.
APA – which operates venues including His Majesty’s Theatre, The Music Hall, and The Lemon Tree - delivered a number of projects which demonstrated significant development or enhancement to the city.
Aberdeen City Council’s Finance and Resources Committee approved a report on Tuesday (5 November 2024) which highlighted the positive impact of Arm’s Length External Organisations (ALEOs) on the city’s health, culture and sports which included APA.
Co-Leader of the Council Councillor Ian Yuill said: “Aberdeen Performing Arts’ annual report highlights the huge range of cultural events taking place across its venues. A successful APA is key to cultural life in Aberdeen.”
Committee convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: “Aberdeen City Council is committed to working with Aberdeen Performing Arts which plays an important role in the cultural offering of our city.
APA Chief Executive, Sharon Burgess said: “Aberdeen Performing Arts is immensely proud to serve as a cultural hub for the city, creating meaningful and transformative experiences for our community. The overwhelming response to our performances and initiatives, from the world premiere of Dracula to the youth-centred Light the Blue Festival, highlights the vital role we play in fostering creativity, inclusivity, and community spirit. Continued support from Aberdeen City Council allows us to build on this momentum, ensuring that we can keep delivering diverse, high-quality cultural opportunities for all.”
The report to committee gave more details about notable achievements by APA.
These included a first collaboration of its kind with the National Theatre of Scotland, where APA co-produced a brand new stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which had its world premiere in Aberdeen at His Majesty’s Theatre in September 2023 before an extensive tour of Scotland and England. The show was extremely well received including a five star review in the national press.
2023’s Light the Blue Festival represented a notable step change in the quantity and quality of engagement and presentation as the city’s festival for and by young people.
A highlight of the Light the Blue Festival was the ‘Snappy Operas’ project through which pupils from Hanover Street, Gilcomstoun, Riverbank, and West Park primary schools performed specially-written operas in the Music Hall – a truly special event and the first time many of the participants and their families had set foot in the venue.
APA also continued to work in partnership and develop work with marginalised and under-represented communities including the Rise Up Festival showcasing black and people of colour artists, the Eat the Rich cabaret programme with the LGBT+ community, and new opportunities for older people to participate such as a script-reading group.
Pic: Dracula Mina's Reckoning Production Photography - courtesy of APA, photo credit Mihaela Bodlovic