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BRIEFS
FOLLOWING troubled times last year with their box office, the Fringe appears to be on the up with reported record ticket sales this year. Ticket sales reached 1.85 million, an increase of 9% from the previous record and 21% up on last year’s figures. JOIN GUINNESS’ 250th anniversary celebrations, taking place in the run up to ‘Arthur’s Day’ on 24 Sep at venues across Glasgow and Edinburgh. Fat Cow and Kilted Pig in Edinburgh will be hosting parties so look out for their Irish music and specially themed menus.
BANDS HOPING to follow the likes of Sons & Daughters (above) and appear at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas are invited to free advice seminars this month on the easiest ways to get there. The events, at ABC, Glasgow, Thu 17 Sep and SAC offices, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Sep, start at 2pm. For more info see www.sac.org.uk
MOBO MASTERS ■ Dizzee Rascal, Eminem, Kanye West and Beyonce are just a few of the names nominated for this year's MOBOs, to be held in Glasgow at the end of the month. Pop trio N- Dubz and rapper Chipmunk lead the nominations with nods in four categories each. The London acts will battle it out for best UK act and best song. X Factor acts Alexandra Burke and JLS are up for best newcomers. In the best song category, N-Dubz are nominated for 'Strong Again' and 'Number One' and are up against Chipmunk's 'Diamond Rings', which is also nominated for best video.
KEY NAMED TOP FUNNYMAN Tim Key has won the Edinburgh Fringe comedy award for his show, The Slutcracker. Elsewhere, best newcomer was won by Jonny Sweet and the panel prize went to Peter Buckley Hill's Free Fringe. Nominees included Russell Kane and Idiots of Ants.
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10–24 Sep 2009 THE LIST 7
A light goes out As the Lighthouse enters administration, the future looks uncertain. Words: Anna Millar
institution is now
The Lighthouse remains open for visitors, following the sad news that the in administration. Sources close to the Lighthouse were keen for the public to keep showing their full support for the building until a decision has been made about its future.
The chair of the board at the Lighthouse, Eleanor McAllister OBE said that she was 'heartbroken' at the decision last month and that the board had done 'everything possible'. She added that options were 'limited' due to the economic climate. 'When I was asked to chair the Lighthouse Trust Board, I had hopes we could find a way ahead after the significant losses incurred in mounting the critically successful, but expensive, Venice Biennale project, and the government decision not to fund a second Six Cities Design Festival.' said McAllister.
Since it opened in 1999, the Lighthouse Trust’s Mitchell Lane visitor centre has operated a programme of exhibitions, events and conferences, attracting an audience of 220,000 visitors and participants each year. The last year has seen them fall on hard times, as organisations cut back on their resources as they themselves faced economic difficulties. The Lighthouse reportedly owes around £300,000. Administrators are
now in the building in a bid to determine a sustainable economic structure.
McAllister defended the Lighthouse's position, and offered hopes that the space would still be open to the public until a decision was made: 'No other gallery in Scotland has to generate such a high percentage of its income from commercial sources and the Lighthouse has been very successful at that in the past. However, the extra income we needed from rents, grants and conferences and events just did not materialise businesses, organisations and charitable trusts cut back on their activities when the credit crunch hit and the recession deepened. as
'The Board hopes that the administrator, working with ourselves, the City Council as owners of the Lighthouse building and the Government as the major funder, will be able to get a resolution that ensures the future of this early Mackintosh building, so important to Glasgow's architectural heritage.' With the building's future still in doubt, Simon Farrell, chairman of the Design Business Association Scotland, said of the loss: 'From a professional and personal point of view I think this is very sad news. The Lighthouse has acted as a beacon for Scottish design and architecture over the past few years and it will be a real shame to see it go. I sincerely hope the board can find a way to keep the light shining.'