00:00The Brunton Theatre Trust recently announced its new programme of events, but the closure
00:05and proposed demolition of the actual Brunton Theatre itself, due to the presence of RAC,
00:10means that patrons in and outside of Musselburgh will not have the same experience.
00:15Considering that the Scottish Government awarded significant money to help redevelop the King's
00:19Theatre, as the member outlined in his previous response, how will the cabinet secretary work
00:23to ensure that smaller theatres such as the Brunton in Musselburgh can be redeveloped
00:28similarly?
00:30I commend the member for raising the theatre, as have other colleagues, including my colleague
00:36who is the constituency MSP. I agree that we should be supporting cultural venues right
00:42across Scotland. Where there are particular issues and there is distress associated with
00:48our finances or, as she has pointed out in this case, RAC, I and my officials are very
00:52keen to speak with local organisations, venues and cultural outfits. We have worked very
00:59hard in recent years to ensure that the cultural infrastructure of Scotland is protected. If
01:05she would pass on my invitation to the theatre, I would be content to meet with them and discuss
01:12any plans or queries for support that they may have.
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