Dundee Rep Theatre
History
PHASE 1
The story begins in the 1930s when due to the enormous popularity of film, theatres in Dundee began to close to be converted into cinemas. Robert Thornely – Manager of the last touring company to perform in Dundee was determined to find a home in the city for his professional theatre company. He approached the Dundee Dramatic Society, an amateur company, who, also faced with nowhere to perform had recently purchased their own premises in the form of a disused jute mill. Thus in May 1939 Dundee Repertory Theatre was born – the culmination of the collaboration between professional determination and amateur support.
PHASE 2
The company had been performing weekly rep throughout the war years and
beyond until in June 1963 disaster struck when a fire completely destroyed
the building and the company was forced to live a nomadic existence for
a short period. Eventually a temporary refuge was found in a converted church
in the Lochee Road of Dundee – temporary that is, for the next eighteen
years!
PHASE 3
After much negotiation with the City of Dundee District Council and the
Scottish Arts council it was agreed that the company would have its own
purpose built premises on land donated by Dundee University. Work began
in January 1979 under the leadership of Robert Robertson who had been Artistic Director for a number of years and who was instrumental in overseeing the building and completion of the new theatre. However, the building work looked like being stopped in its
tracks due to rising prices and inflation. A public appeal was launched
which raised a massive £60,000 in under six weeks, reaching an eventual
total of £200,000 outstripping all possible expectations, in a city
that was then in the midst of economic recession. The new theatre opened
on April 8 1982. The building proved a great success - with a superb 450-seater
auditorium, providing one of the best stages in Scotland in terms of its
relationship with its audience, it received a civic commendation from The
Civic Trust Award in 1984 and in 1986 won the RIBA Architecture Award. Robert Robertson retired from Dundee Rep in 1990 but continued to play pathologist Dr. Stephen Andrews in 'Taggart' until his sudden death on stage at Perth Theatre in 2001.
PHASE 4
In April 1992 Dundee Rep’s next Artistic Director Hamish Glen came
on the scene. Dundee Rep moved from strength to strength, achieving much
public and critical acclaim. In 1996 it received the prestigious TMA Martini
Award for the Best Overall Production in the UK and in September 1999 it
opened it’s doors to one of the most ambitious experiments in Scottish
Theatre for many years – a permanent company of 14 actors. Also at
this time the Rep was undertaking major refurbishment and upgrading of its
award-wining building ensuring Dundee a state-of-the-art theatre in the
City’s new cultural quarter.
PHASE 5
In Spring 2003 James Brining and Dominic Hill became joint Artistic
Directors (replacing Hamish Glen). Under new artistic direction the theatre's
work is being seen locally, elsewhere in Scotland and further afield, building
on the reputation for excellent work which the theatre currently enjoys.
In the 2004 Critics Awards For Theatre In Scotland (CATS), Dundee Rep won
no less than 5 awards – Best Production (‘Scenes From An Execution’),
Best Director (Dominic Hill for ‘Scenes…’), Best Actor
(John Bett), Best Design & Best Music (both for ‘Twelfth Night’)
as well as five other nominations..
