At the end of September, I was delighted to attend the Macrobert Art Centre in Stirling to see a Movies to Musicals production of Les Misérables. Many of the young actors and actresses who took part in the school edition of the show are from the Strathearn area.
It was a truly impressive performance and a wonderful reflection of the young talent which emanates from our local area. The impressive sets and costume design matched the professional delivery of the young people on stage. The atmosphere in the theatre hall was exhilarating throughout the show, and you can see this for yourself from some of the short clips teased on the Movies to Musical Facebook page. If you have a look at some of these, you will see just why the shows were sold out for all its four consecutive nights. I will certainly be making a return to a future production when time allows.
The arts and creative industries in Scotland have faced some tough Holyrood budgets over the last few years and the night’s performance demonstrated to me just what could be lost if we do not properly invest in this sector. From a financial perspective the arts are a major growth area which has the potential to go even further with effective government assistance and tax relief. In many areas of the arts, the UK is second only to the United States, so it is crucial that we are properly supporting and continually growing our world-renowned reputation in this industry.
Thank you once again to the actors, directors and production team for such a marvellous night of entertainment.
