School cancels show after theatre found to have no insurance

School cancels show after theatre found to have no insurance

Schoolchildren preparing to perform at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline, Fife, last month were forced to cancel their show at the last minute when it was discovered that the theatre had been running for several days with no licence or insurance.

Any venue hosting performances must hold proper licences, as well as public liability insurance, to protect the public should there be an accident or fire, for example.

Youngsters from the Dollar Academy were set to perform the musical Chess, but just half an hour before the performance, the school had to cancel the show. Bob Young, the chairman of Fife's licensing board, explained that as the theatre's license had expired and no application had been made to renew it at that point, the theatre was uninsured.

Young told The Courier newspaper: "Imagine the worst case scenario — if a fire breaks out in that place and there is no licence and no insurance. It’s not just the kids that were going to be in there, the theatre was presumably going to be very busy.

“I find it shocking that a company like that with the lawyers it has doesn’t have its licence in place."

It was later discovered that the theatre had been running between 27 May and 9 June 2016 without a licence, in which time three performances had taken place, all without insurance to cover public liability or losses to the business itself.

The theatre was able to obtain a new licence in time for the evening performance to go ahead and the theatre said it would work with the Dollar Academy to make up for the disappointment.