A GLITTERING charity gala performance of the iconic musical, Cabaret, will tonight (Friday, March 18th) launch a bold new fundraising campaign to develop a complex of one-to-one learning and teaching spaces within the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Celebrities and key entertainment industry figures will join business leaders and hundreds of RCS supporters for a fundraising gala to launch the campaign to build a state-of-the-art rehearsal suite within the Conservatoire’s home in Renfrew Street, Glasgow.
This current production of Cabaret, set in pre-war Berlin and made famous by the film starring Liza Minnelli, is one of the most spectacular musical theatre shows ever undertaken by students at Scotland’s national conservatoire.
The production has been made possible by the fantastic teamwork of exceptional students from RCS’s world-leading musical theatre programme working in collaboration with the conservatoire’s student musicians, choreographers, costume, stage and lighting designers and technicians.
The incredible sets and costumes were designed by young Inverness theatre designer and illustrator, Kenneth MacLeod, a 2015 graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Launching the Creative Campus fundraising campaign, Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: “The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland seeks to educate the students of greatest potential from across the nation and from around the world.
“To nurture students’ potential as fully as possible we need to add practical and inspiring one to one teaching spaces. That is why we’ve developed the Creative Campus Plan – an exciting and ambitious project to enhance our student experience and support our outstanding teaching.
“It is important that, as Scotland’s national conservatoire, we invest in the development of the next generation of arts leaders and performing artists. We welcome all support in helping us make this dream a reality.”
The fundraising target is £2.3m.
Professor Sharkey also stressed that individual gifts, corporate and trust support were all hugely important to the future of RCS.
He said: “All support for RCS allows us space to innovate, helps us to deliver a world-class performing arts educational experience and allows us to extend access to those of great potential who may face barriers to education.
“We value every gift we receive and encourage everyone who believes in the transformative power of the performing arts to support us in any way they can.”
Phase one of the Creative Campus programme will be the development of a new learning and teaching complex within our main campus in Renfrew Street. This project, which is in initial planning phase, is to include:
- The creation of a two-level rehearsal complex, comprising around 27 new individual practice/teaching rooms
- The creation of flexible rehearsal space on the second level.
The goal of the project is to use the building’s current footprint in the most creative way possible transforming multi-level spaces into much needed one-to-one learning and teaching spaces in a responsible, economic and value-driven way.
To date, just over half of the funding for the development – £1.165million – has been secured, with the rest to be raised through support from individuals and trusts.
The project is scheduled for completion in early 2017.
The new complex – which involves redeveloping an area of the RCS estate currently used as group rehearsal spaces – is also scoped to benefit the widest possible range of learners – from undergraduate students to our Junior Conservatoire, open access and lifelong learners in the evenings and weekends.
RCS also offers a range of large-scale rehearsal spaces within its purpose built Speirs Locks campus which opened in 2010.
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a national and international centre of excellence for the performing arts. Building on our roots in 1847 as a national academy of music, we are now one of Europe’s most multi-disciplinary performing arts higher education centres offering specialised teaching across music, drama, dance, film and production as well as encouraging trans-disciplinary learning throughout our innovative curriculum.
We are bold, ambitious and optimistic about our future as a truly 21st century conservatoire. As we work towards 2020, our goal, through our students, staff and graduates, is to raise the transformative power and reach of the performing arts in Scotland and to project our distinctiveness to the wider world.
Our vision is to be Scotland’s globally-recognised and inspirational leader in learning for the performing arts, attracting and nurturing the best Scottish and international creative talent.
Media enquiries to:
Katie Bell
k.bell@rcs.ac.uk
0141 270 8387
A selection of Cabaret photographs and architectural images are available on request.
Photo credit – RCS/KK Dundas
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RCS contact details…
Contact: Katie Bell
Phone: 0141 270 8387
Email: k.bell@rcs.ac.uk
Website: http://www.rcs.ac.uk
