Watch: Pleasance director speaks on closing Fringe courtyard for first time in 41 years due to Storm Floris
The closure is the first in the Pleasance’s 41 year history
Fringe venue The Pleasance has closed its Courtyard venue for the first time in its 41 year history due to the high winds driven by Storm Floris that have hit Edinburgh.
Pleasance director Anthony Alderson has spoken to The Scotsman about the closure, which has led to 72 shows being cancelled.
The venue is due to make a decision at 4pm about whether it will reopen this evening.
Mr Alderson said: “We’ve never closed the Pleasance Courtyard for this amount of time before. This is the first time in 41 years.
“This is entirely precautionary. It’s a complicated site, the Pleasance Courtyard. It’s a lot of little theatres around an enclosed space and they’re historic buildings. We have a very thorough safety management plan in terms of wind. We’ve just got to wait until we can make a decision later this afternoon.
“We’re all different. Every venue has its own plan.”
Mr Alderson said the financial impact of a day’s closure would be “significant”, with up to 15,000 audience members potentially affected.
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