A bid to stage a musical version of the hit movie Shrek which had been under threat due to the closure of Falkirk Town Hall has been given a fairytale ending after finding a new venue.
Falkirk Operatic Society will now perform their Easter show, 'Shrek: The Musical', at St Mungo's High School in Bainsford, thanks to support from Falkirk Council which has agreed to help the company foot the hefty bill to bring everybody's favourite ogre to the stage.
The society's president, Carol Sutherland, said she is delighted they now have "somewhere to go" for their show in April, which they had originally expected to perform at Falkirk Town Hall.
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The company, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, was one of several local groups left reeling with the sudden news in September that the Town Hall was closing for good, before its replacement had even been agreed.
Falkirk Council told them that separating the town hall from the municipal buildings would cost around £6 million - and still leave them with a theatre 'not fit for purpose'.
Councillors reluctantly agreed closure was the only option but promised companies affected would be given support to find other venues.
The timing could not have been worse for Falkirk Opera, who had already paid out thousands of pounds to secure the performance rights for the musical, along with substantial deposits for costumes, and scenery designed to fit Falkirk Town Hall.
Finding another venue was far from easy for a show the size of Shrek. The only possible candidates were St Mungo's or Larbert High - and the cost of hiring either school for a week was far beyond an amateur company.
Not only was the venue itself more expensive, extra sound equipment was also needed to match the town hall standards.
A budget of £10,000 that Falkirk Council had allocated to help all of the companies affected relocate was inadequate. However, after being presented with the costs facing the company, Falkirk councillors agreed to use some of the cash allocated to a new district-wide arts programme.
"We're delighted we've been able to secure the school because Shrek is such a big show - the scenery is quite extensive and the cast is quite large as you can imagine!
"It's not ideal for us but we are happy that the council has stepped up and done what they said they would. To be fair, they have listened to us and they have been helpful," said Carol.
She also thanked St Mungo's staff for all their help in showing them round the facilities, which convinced them they would have everything they needed.
"Although we are an amateur company, all the sets, the costumes, the sound are all provided by professionals - it's a full-scale production," said Carol.
The show is being held in the second week of the Easter holidays as the school is not available for a week-long run during term-time.
"It might affect our audiences but that's a chance we'll need to take," said Carol.
But she's confident audiences will love 'Shrek: the Musical', based on the much-loved Dreamworks film, where ogres, princesses and dragons mix with the likes of the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs.
"Toddlers will love it as much as adults - it will appeal to everyone! There's a lot of humour and good music and it's very colourful." said Carol.
The move to St Mungo's is not quite a happy-ever-after ending, however, as the council budget won't stretch to subsidising future years.
"Going forward, we don't have a home," said Carol.
They have still to decide what they will do next year - they may find a smaller venue or perhaps do some fundraising concerts to get them in better financial shape to survive the next few years.
But they are determined to survive. Their society is decades older than the current town hall and , with the exception only of the First and Second World War years and the coronavirus pandemic, has put on a show every year for 120 years.
When the decision was taken to shut FTH for good in February, the council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, promised they would finally deliver a new town hall, putting an end to years of arguments and debate.
Carol is hopeful the new venue - promised for Falkirk High Street - will come "sooner rather later".
"If we've got to look for a new home for the next three or four years, we can do that if we know there's going to be a new town hall," said Carol.
"It would be a tragedy for the area if they didn't build one."
The many arts and theatre groups that will now miss the town hall so much are "like a big family", she says, stressing how many people are part of community that boosts confidence and has huge benefits for mental health.
"I would like to think the council are now looking at how much value it has for the people of Falkirk and it would nice to think they would make a decision and have plans in place soon for a new venue soon."
So after all the drama, intrigue and plot twists - will this fairytale have a happy ending?
"We're hoping that our audiences will still come and see us!," said Carol.
"It's not too far from the town and there is plenty of parking, so we hope that everyone will come and support us!
"We do it for the love of it but we rely on our audiences to keep us going!"
