We would love you to share your memories of the Gaiety theatre with us!
If you have any memories that you would like to share please send them to us by completing the contact form or by emailing us at heritage@ayrgaiety.co.uk. We will add your memories to those below, where they preserved and add value and context to our unique digital archive collection.
My favourite memory of the Gaiety is...
"Soon after moving to Ayr (25 years ago) I brought my wheelchair bound mother to the 'Gaiety Whirl'. Being a folk music, opera lover, I was unexpectedly blown away by the quality and the variety of performance . I thought I was giving my mother a treat but had a great time too... and have supported this beautiful old theatre since." Alexis
"Looking forward to a night at the theatre with my mum. We had the deepest seats in the house in the gods!! Many a visit to see Alexander Brothers, Syndey Divine and many others. Brilliant memories." Hazel
"When I was married in August 1955 my guests were booked into the Gaiety Theatre but there was a fire in the theatre and the guests went to a show in the Ayr Ice Rink. I have many happy memories of the times with my husband and family at the theatre over the years." Margaret
"I wasn't married at that time, John used to take me to the Gaiety with a box of choccolate every other week. I came every second Saturday all the way down from Edinburgh by train and when he visited me in Edinburgh he came with his motorbike. We were married for 46 years." Anne
"My grandfather is Andrew 'Deb' Young, he was the stage manager at the Gaiety. He came to Ayr with Ben Popplewell around 1912. Ben had a show on the beach and my grandfather's job was to pass around with a bannet to collect money. My grandfather was widower at that time with 3 little children on of which was my mum. Flory Ford was already a famous star; she had a dresser who looked after her clothes. My granddad ended up marring her." Barbara
"John Dunbar was a singer. He came into the Gaiety in the late 50s- early 60s. He just came back from Canada. He wore size 14 shoes and there were no size 14 socks at that time. He used to cut the toe of his socks to be able to wear socks. Until I knitted him size 14 socks. Then the Alexander Brother found out that I knitted socks for John, so they asked if they could get socks for themselves so I did. Then Andy Stewart also wanted socks knitted by me but I said 'no, forget it!' I was fed up of knitting all these socks!" Barbara
"When I was a child at the early age 62 years ago, I always remember Billy Rusk. His famous saying was "My I awful good" when he was singing. Front seat in the stalls, my I thought I was somebody as I sometimes sat in the Gods as the seats were called Jack Milroy Mary Lee. Oh what happy days." Margaret
"Going to the Christmas Panto via the Caledonian Hotel for pre-theatre drinks, arriving at the theatre just before 1930 for the beginning of the performance only to find that it started at 7pm and to confound it we four were in the box. On arriving we were "set upon" by Dean Park accusing us of being just like royality "never on time". This continued intermittently throughout the performance." Stewart
"Elvis came up to us (a party of girls at Elvis tribute night) we were seated to the side with no one in front of us and girated his hips, groin etc right in front of one of the girls! Just at the level of her head!" Aileen
"Norman Wisdom was by far the greatest and also the staff. Godbless. Very funny." Paul
"I was a prop boy and had to arrange for all sorts of things like going to a Hotel for a silver ice bucket for a particular scene. Lots of chorus girls, one of which appeared in the West End." John
"I have always liked The Gaiety Theatre as it is a friendly theatre and all the staff are lovely. I go to The Gaiety on a regular basis and have loved every show. My daughter also does her dance show there every year which is brilliant." Alison
"It gave me the bug for theatre and I now do ameteur dramatics. My dream would be to appear on stage at The Gaiety." Jacqueline
"My father was Blaney Quinn the shoe repairer in Ayr. He used to repair all the shoes for the dancers and their stars. He repaired for example, Johnnie Beattie and Russel Lane's shoes. He started at 270 High Street Ayr. He did some in secret for some of the acts so the illusion was not ruined." Joy
"In 1960 I was a dancer in the chorus at The Gaiety and I met Jack Young (part of the duo of Bob and Jack Young) Johnnie Beattie and Gwen Overton and Jimmy Fletcher, Maxine Coates. Clive Stock also in the show. Jack and I got married at St Margaret Church in Ayr in 1961. Lots of happy memories." Sheila Young
"I'd just finished a panto season at The Gaiety as a dancer in Cinderella, my landlady's son arranged a blind date for me with his friend Chic Carleton who was in Rose Marie with the A.A.O.C We met at my digs in Ailsa Place, must have been love at first sight, we'll celebrate 62 years of marriage this year, so very happy memories of The Gaiety." Vivien
"The favourite acts / shows I have seen over the years at the Gaiety include Jess Conrad in 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat', Dennis Locorriere, The Drifters, The Searchers, Kevin Bloody Wilson, Jim Davidson, 'The Mousetrap', and 'The Broons'. A great theatre for a great choice of shows!" Ian
"I was brought up at 31 High Street [Ayr] (demolished 1960). It was a large commodious flat. My mother did 'letting' and many Gaiety chorus girls stayed with us. In the photograph Doris and Betty are pushing my pram to the Gaiety for rehearsals!
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I was born July 1944 so looks like 1945? In the 50s we had a father and daughter staying. They were an acrobatic act, The Ansons, (I think). Mum's pulley needed a new rope. Dad was at work, so Ina Anson stood on her dad's shoulder and fixed the pulley!
Visits to the 'Gods' were often and I just loved the theatre. My husband to be, in the early 60s, booked the stalls on a Saturday night (2nd house). I thought it was fabulous! Even still got a ticket stub:
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I wish I could remember better, but I was young. A lot of acts during the 'Whirl' stayed in caravans. Aly Wilson was at Holmston Farm (now houses and a school). Robert Wilson was a great friend of the Murdoch's Barlosh Farm. My mum said Robert Wilson was her favourite singer!
A wonderful theatre. Last week when the children performed, must have been a lasting memory for them - our audiences of the future." Alison
"My daughter performing on stage." Kenneth
"Gaiety Whirl and pantomimes with Johnnie Beattie and company. Seeing good comedy sketches eg Rabbie Burns Statue with Russell Laine and Johnnie Beattie. Many good acts, Jack Milroy and Mary Lee, Russ Abbott, Alexander Brothers, Alexander Morrison, Tartan Lads, plays. Regulars in boxes." L Johnstone
"As a young teenager going backstage to see my dad's cousin who was a singer in the shows. Scantily clad men running about my dad's cousin laughing and trying to cover my eyes!" Lesley
"Johnny Beattie singing happy birthday to my daughter during Aladdin. She was 8 years old." Irene
"Over the years I have seen many shows as diverse as Dean Park, Elkie Brooks, Marty Wilde, The Broons and MacBraveheart. But I have to say, one of my favourites ever has to be this years (2017) Bye, Bye, Baby tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons!" Ian
"As a young girl of around 8 it was my ambition to become a Thingamajig dancer. I recall my mother taking me to see Andy Stewart at the Gaiety. I was delighted and surprised when Andy read out a letter my mother had written to him prior to the show. A lovely childhood memory." Mrs S Black
"In 1947 I was cast in the visiting Glasgow Citizens Theatre production of Bunty Pulls the Springs, along with Stanley Baxter's wife, Moira Robertson, with whom I shared a dressing room. Duncan MacRae played the leading role. The company recruited local performers to play with them." Allison
"For several years from 1950, my father, Campbell McGregor, directed performances of the Ayrshire Philharmonic Operatic Society, including Princess Ida, and the HMS Pinafore, as well as Yeoman of the Guard, where cast members Anne McDiarmid and Andrew Milroy played leading roles. At the final curtain, Andrew presented Anne with a spinning wheel of flowers." Allison
"The Compass Club, of which I was a founder member, performed The Happy Marriage in the Gaiety. I played the leading role in it. The Gaiety Theater was indeed a lovely theatre in which to play." Allison
"Aunt danced in chorus line with Lionel Blair. Her mother dragged her out at half time as all boys and girls were getting changed in the same dressing room!" Reg
"Coming to the pantomimes with my parents. Mum liked to sit in the circle because she thought that was posh!" S.Brown