Back in 2001 the future of the Bedlam Theatre looked less than healthy when it transpired that a developer had approached the University to buy the land on which the Bedlam stands. They had bought the site behind the theatre and want to knock the Bedlam down so they could build a large hotel. It seemed the University, strapped for cash as ever, were keen to sell. Obligated to rehouse the EUTC the University told the developers they would have to build a new theatre space for the student theatre company either within the hotel complex, or somewhere else in central Edinburgh. However the initial theatre space the developers proposed wasn't at all suitable for the Company's needs - plus neither developer or university could say how long the EUTC would be homeless between the Bedlam closing and any new theatre space being opened.
What transpired from the closure threat was that many in the University weren't aware of the phenomal output of the EUTC at the Bedlam Theatre - and at the importance it had in the Edinburgh student community. With this in mind current and old Bedlamites stage several events designed to promote the theatre to key decision makers - the most prominent of which was a big party and presentation at the Bedlam on May 4th 2002.
In the end the developers were refused planning permission to knock the Bedlam down, and when they resubmitted their plans to the City Council over Christmas 2002 they had designed a new building which didn't need Bedlam land. So for the time being the Bedlam is safe again. We say for the time being because we get the impression that if an offer was made the University would sell. So a key aim of Friends of Bedlam is to make sure the EUTC's alumni are on hand to make a lot of noise should any future talk of selling the Bedlam materialise.
In the meantime here is an article from ThreeWeeks - the Edinburgh Festival newspaper - published in August 2002 giving some background to the Save The Bedlam campaign...
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You can’t miss the building, it’s right at the end of George IV Bridge and is an extravagant grey gothic affair. But it’s not just a local landmark, it’s the Bedlam Theatre, one of the most fun and vibrant Fringe venues and, for the past 21 years, the year-round home of Edinburgh University Theatre Company.
But a dark uncertain cloud hangs over the future of the building, with a cash-strapped university on one side and a cash-hungry developer on the other. Whether the site will be sold to make way for another hotel is currently at the discretion of the local council who, having knocked back one set of developers proposals, are expecting a reworked planning application sometime soon.
News of impending doom first broke last year when the University confirmed that it would like to move EUTC out of the building in order to sell the site. Proposals were soon submitted to the council by an interested buyer who wanted to build a 65 bedroom hotel on the site. Fortunately the building is listed, and conservationists are resisting its demolition, so the submitted designs were not approved, and the sale of the site went on hold. But with the University keen to sell and central Edinburgh land at a premium there is still little security for the theatre company.
The financial straits of the University are no secret; they have already sold Roxburgh Place Halls, better known to the Fringe audiences as Pleasance Over The Road. The buyer of the building has yet to develop the site and, sympathetic to its role in the Fringe, has allowed the Pleasance to keep the space for this year. But as Christopher Richardson told ThreeWeeks he has “no idea” yet whether they will be running the venue next year or in the future. The loss of the Pleasance annex will be sad, but the sale of the building is perhaps excusable given the University’s financial needs and the fact that outside August the site was essentially a rather grand exam hall.
But the Bedlam very much exists outside the Festival. The EUTC uses the Bedlam stage for over 50 productions a year – a diverse mix of productions artistically, many of which have been very successful, both at the box office and in terms of external recognition – including several Fringe Firsts and regular appearances at the National Student Drama Festival. What’s more the Bedlam is a unique place; as the only fully student run theatre in the country, it is a fantastic training ground not just for actors but all kinds of production and administrative staff.
Proof of this comes from the many alumni of the Bedlam now working in the arts – many of whom have come out in support of the theatre company, and are campaigning for the university to change its plans to sell its home. Recent alumni lending a cheer include Daisy Donovan, Greg Wise, Judith Doherty and Ben Harrison (founder of Festival favourites, Grid Iron) and John Stalker (general manager of the Festival City Theatre’s Trust). And the value of the place is recognised externally too, Christopher Richardson and the Fringe Society’s Paul Gudgin are amongst those who have expressed their support for the Bedlam to ThreeWeeks.
What happens if a sale goes through? There is an agreement between the University and EUTC that says that if the Bedlam is closed the theatre company must be rehoused in suitable alternative accommodation. To be fair to the University they are sticking to this commitment. The University has told ThreeWeeks that there is a clause in the land buyer’s contract that states an alternative theatre space, approved EUTC, will have to be provided by the developer as part of the deal (though hotel developers aren’t exactly well known for their in depth understanding of the very particular needs of a theatre and theatre company). And while the University admits that it has no contingency plan if the developers fail to satisfy the EUTC’s requirements for a new home, and that even if an agreement is met there can be no guarantee that there wouldn’t be a gap between the Bedlam closing and a new theatre opening, it does seem to recognise that the EUTC can’t just be left homeless.
But in some ways fulfilling commitments to rehouse the theatre company is not the issue. Many in the theatre company feel the University is not really aware of the role it has in the Edinburgh student community, nor how much the actual bricks and mortar of the Bedlam itself help it acheive that role. As the Bedlam’s Fringe team told ThreeWeeks: “Despite the initial short-term financial gain that the University would receive, we believe that they and, more importantly, the students and young people of the city, who find it such a fascinating and important resource, would lose out significantly in the long run. Our only fear is that any move from these existing arrangements could jeopardise the security of the theatre that has been of benefit to so many in the past, and – hopefully – to many more in the future.”
And that’s the point here. Edinburgh’s student community enjoys the kind of vibrant cultural dimension that the Festival City deserves. And it’s a dimension not based around any formal arts or media courses, but centring on a number of active student run societies, the EUTC and Bedlam Theatre in particular. The fact this cultural community has a basic structure (the theatre company and the building) but at the same time is informal, led by numerous independent individuals and is therefore constantly changing, gives it its strength (and in that way mirrors the Fringe Festival). We feel the University could do with considering the value of that so that if, and when, a developer gets planning permission to buy the site they have another think about whether closing the Bedlam is a smart thing to do, and if a sale has to happen that they take a proactive role to work with the EUTC to create a new theatre space that continues to allow and encourage that artistic excitement – during the three weeks of the Festival – and the other forty-nine weeks of the year.