HMT 120: Sip N Paint

His Majesty's Theatre is hosting a Sip N Paint session on Saturday 21 November, held in The Terrace. It's a creative painting afternoon that runs from 2pm to 4pm, with doors opening at 1:30pm, and it costs £26. It's for over-18s only, and they run Challenge 25 on arrival, so bring your ID.

The session is part of the theatre's 120th-anniversary programme, marking the years 1906 to 2026. The building first opened to the public on 3 December 1906, with Sweet Red Riding Hood as its first production. Plans for the theatre had been submitted back in 1901 at an estimated cost of over £20,000, though construction didn't actually start until 1904 after they struggled to find enough granite. When it finally went up, the front was built with Kemnay granite and the back with granite from Tillyfoury, all of it raised by Aberdeen workmen. Since then, the venue has gone through major renovations in 1933, 1982 and 2004.

The anniversary year, tagged #HMT120, includes a Gala Dinner in September and an Opera Gala in November, and the theatre is aiming to raise £120,000 to invest in creative opportunities across the North-east. This painting session is one of the events running as part of that celebrations year. It's held in The Terrace rather than the main auditorium, and it's a two-hour slot on a Saturday afternoon, so it's a fairly easy one to fit in without taking up your whole weekend.