RESTORING THE SOUNDS OF HISTORY: THE CHIMES PROJECT BRINGS PAISLEY TOWN HALL’S CARILLON BACK TO LIFE
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September 26, 2023Paisley Town Hall set to come to life with announcement of first events
The first events which will be hosted in the refurbished Paisley Town Hall have been announced. The first will be a community-led project which celebrates the musical history of the iconic venue, before paying audiences will be able to enjoy a co-production of Macbeth by Paisley Opera.
Those performances will be followed by the Mòd Phàislig 2023, when The Royal National Mòd comes to town from Friday 13 – Saturday 21 October.
Michelle Woods, Deputy Business Development Director at OneRen, the charity which operates the venue, said: “Paisley Town Hall is an iconic performance venue located in the heart of the town and after the refurbishment, it will be one of Scotland’s premiere performance destinations. With exceptional facilities for artists and audiences, the venue will support a year-round programme of unique and exciting performances and festivals from music gigs, comedy shows, dance and theatre performances, co-produced premieres to arts, comedy and music festivals.
The community event, which will be a test event for invited audiences, will take place on 29 September and will include performances from local arts organisations including, Art Boss, an award-winning creative young producers project developed and delivered as part of Future Paisley – a Renfrewshire Council-led cultural regeneration programme which uses the power of arts, culture and heritage to impact social and economic change, Sma’sh Hits: A Renfrewshire Music Collective and Rockus Community Choir. There will be a focus on the town hall’s chimes with special compositions and performances.
Paisley Opera, supported by the incredible Scottish Opera orchestra and dynamic dance company Right2Dance, have created a new production of Verdi’s dark masterpiece, Macbeth, with a new, specially commissioned ‘Paisley’ translation. The shows on 6th – 7th October 2023, will be the first where concert-goers can buy tickets, which are on sale now.
Paisley’s A-listed town hall has gone through a £22m transformation into one of the finest entertainment venues in the west of Scotland.
The iconic building – a striking centrepiece of life in the town for more than 140 years – has been transformed as part of a wider investment by Renfrewshire Council in Paisley’s historic cultural venues, aimed at driving new life and footfall to the area.
Key features of the transformation include:
• A complete redesign by leading Scottish architects Holmes Miller to put audience experience and accessibility at the heart of the building
• The preservation and restoration of the unique and ornate Victorian architectural features throughout the town hall
• Adding state-of-the-art performance and back-of-house facilities such as new sound and lighting, retractable seating and lowered stage, and expanding the capacity in the main hall to more than 1,000
• New rooms added in previously-unused spaces, such as a new bar and terrace overlooking Paisley’s iconic Abbey, a dance studio, and a screening room – adding a greater range of uses than ever before
• A full replacement of decades-old mechanical and electrical equipment
The building is now moving towards completion and is getting ready to welcome audiences.
Michelle added: “Paisley Town Hall will present an annual festivals programme which includes the Paisley Book Festival, as well as a seasonal Spring/Summer and Winter programme.
“The festivals programme will include headliner acts and bespoke events in collaboration with partners to ensure a unique and relevant offer for local and national audiences that creates unique experiences inside and outside the venue.
“The seasonal programme will present high profile touring music, comedy, theatre, dance, and performances for children and families to ensure audiences can access high quality performance throughout the year.”
More details on headline performances and acts will be announced at a later date.
