Summerhall looks to be saved – for the short term at least

For the next few weeks, Summerhall will be one of the most exciting places on the planet, as every nook and cranny of the beloved Edinburgh venue is filled with imaginative theatre and performing arts. But a shadow has been hanging over the upcoming Fringe excitement. Ever since the news broke earlier this year that Summerhall’s complex of buildings was going up for sale, the future of the venue has been in doubt. Would it continue to be one of the most exciting arts venues in the UK, or would its buildings be gutted and turned into student housing or a boutique hotel?

Today, there’s some positive news. Summerhall Arts, the charity organisation founded last year that has been working with Summerhall Management to deliver the visual arts strand of Summerhall’s programming, are at the final stages of talks to take on the lease of Summerhall. Once these talks are complete, Summerhall Arts will take over from Summerhall Management in delivering the full year-round programme at the venue for, initially, the next three years.

The charity would take on responsibility for the venue's extensive Fringe activity, its year-round range of events, and employment of its programming and operational team. Speaking to The Guardian, Summerhall Arts chief executive Sam Gough said that the venue's 25 exhibition and events spaces, art galleries and theatres, as well as the on-site pub and beer garden, are included in the deal, which covers “all of the areas which produce arts and culture." He said: "We can consistently deliver art here for three years and when the new owners, whoever they might be, decide what they’re doing, we can negotiate a longer term lease."

“Summerhall Arts are determined to find the best way to secure the future for Summerhall,” says Summerhall Arts board member Debbie Christie. “Our hope is that this interim three-year plan will ensure that we can continue and cherish all that is great about Summerhall.”

Christie adds that a longer-term future for Summerhall won’t be achieved without public support. “Summerhall is a much-loved venue that brings international acclaim to Scotland during the Festival but also provides a welcoming, safe, open and well-used venue for the wider public and arts community throughout the year,” she says. “We will need as much support as we can get to make this happen and we will be announcing more ways people can help us make this happen as we go forward.”

One way the public can help now is through Summerhall Arts’ new fundraising campaign, which aims to raise money to assist with Summerhall’s running costs and maintain its lively year-round programme. “We will need public support to secure this future,” says Sam Gough. “Please help us by donating what you can to enable the year-round provision of arts, culture and community activity to continue. Information on how to contribute a donation can be found at Summerhall’s website www.summerhallarts.co.uk

With Summerhall’s cultural provision seemingly safe in the immediate-term, the Jazz Bar reopening, and Filmhouse set to follow soon, the future of Edinburgh’s cultural scene seems rosier than it has been in the last few months. Hopefully all three venues will be involved at next year’s Fringe, and find ways towards a sustainable future from which we all will benefit.