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Rest in peace Liz Milne
It is with great sadness that we confirm our beloved co-founder, director and costumier extraordinaire Liz has died following her year-long battle with ovarian cancer.
Liz’s final days were spent surrounded by the love and laughter of her family. She passed away peacefully on Monday, listening to a series of Terry Pratchett audiobooks whilst her children held her hands, just as she’d hoped.
She will be remembered as a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, partner, dear friend, inspirational teacher and mentor to many. She poured her heart and soul into her work with Phoenix and loved every second of it. Even when times were tough, she was ready with a wry remark, some fierce determination and her trademark laugh was never far behind.
Her death comes a few weeks after being overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of so many people raising money to gift her a seat plaque at His Majesty’s Theatre and donating £3,158 to Friends of ANCHOR in her name. For a teacher whose entire ethos was that “every child should feel valued”, it means the world to us that Liz was able to see just how valued she was before the end.
But, as Liz would tell you, it isn’t the end. In the immortal words of Stephen Sondheim, sung by Liz herself in Phoenix Theatre’s 1993 production of Into The Woods: “Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood. Do not let it grieve you. No one leaves for good. You are not alone. No one is alone.”
Phoenix Theatre's Liz interviewed about her life and cancer battle
“I miss sewing more than I miss walking because I can get wheeled about in a wheelchair. But I can’t wheel about in a wheelchair with a sewing machine on my lap.”
Thank you to our friends at the Press and Journal for a wonderful interview with our co-founder and director Liz Milne. Touching on her history, the founding of Phoenix, her love for sewing, battle with cancer and recent birthday surprises.
It's fair to say there have been smiles on our faces and tears in our eyes reading this poignant piece.
I’ve had a wonderful, wonderful life and how many people get to live to 73? You’ve got to be glass half full.”
Thousands raised as Liz receives theatre plaque
Last week saw the culmination of a secret plan to honour our co-founder and director Liz Milne for her 73rd birthday, as she continues to battle against ovarian cancer.
To show just what Liz means to everyone, the entire Phoenix Theatre cast and members of the wider Phoenix Family came together to secure her a seat plaque at His Majesty’s Theatre, courtesy of Aberdeen Performing Arts.
We reached our fundraising target in under 24 hours and, as the money kept coming in, we decided anything extra would go to the extremely deserving charity Friends of ANCHOR, who have provided excellent support to Liz throughout her treatment.
That “anything extra” amounted to a stunning donation of £3,158, revealed at a surprise cheque handover on the day of her birthday.
The generosity and messages of love people sent in about Liz brought many a tear to the eye.
She is especially touched that others will benefit from the money raised in her name, as Friends of ANCHOR continue their important work.
Liz was then truly humbled to sit in the seat emblazoned with her name at HMT, an honour that comes five years after she received a British Empire Medal for services to theatre and the arts in the Queen’s Birthday 2019 Honours List.
People may not see all Liz has done behind-the-scenes over the decades, but her impact on people’s lives is undeniable. And, as all the messages in her giant birthday cards showed, the loving feelings towards her will last forever.
No porkies for P&J anniversary
We’d like to extend our congratulations to our friends at the Press and Journal newspaper, who last month celebrated their incredible 275th anniversary.
To mark this milestone, a number of our youngsters from Phoenix Youth helped tell the story of their history for a special video shown at their anniversary charity gala.
The future looks bright for the paper under this new management - and that’s not a porkie!
An addition to the Phoenix Family
We hope you’ll all welcome the newest member of the Phoenix Family - Grace Elizabeth Milne was born at 12:05am on Friday 22 December.
Gracie was the perfect Christmas present for Phoenix Theatre’s Jonnie and Claire, and a wonderful new granddaughter for our director Liz.
Liz was able to make it into the hospital and was over-the-moon to meet her tiny namesake.
Thank you to everyone for their messages of love and support, helping welcome Gracie to the world.
You Can't Stop the Ballater Beat
It was an honour for Phoenix Theatre to be asked back to take part in another celebration concert in Ballater - this time to mark Victoria Week in August 2023.
Our performers brought tons of energy with our longest-running and most popular set - Hairspray!
Thank you to the organisers for having us and to the crowds for the wonderful reception they gave our Nicest Kids in Town!
If the video does not appear, please view it directly on our YouTube by clicking this link.
A regally great day at the Coronation Celebrations
As people across the country marked the coronation of King Charles III, members of Phoenix Theatre & Phoenix Youth Theatre played their part by closing-out the wonderful Ballater & Crathie celebrations, on Sunday 8 May, 2023.
The sun was shining down on the heart of Royal Deeside, as our performers brought smiles to the faces of everyone in attendance, with our royalty-themed set, featuring songs from the musicals Shrek, Hamilton and Six.
Congratulations to all of them - especially our younger starts who stepped up to join our experienced Corporate Entertainment team!
If the video does not appear, please view it directly on our YouTube by clicking this link.