SUSAN Boyle is set to become an ambassador for the theatre where she first showed off her amazing singing talent.
Theatre bosses at the Regal Theatre in Bathgate,West Lothian, have asked Susan to be the patron of the venue, where she first sang I Dreamed A Dream.
Her debut performance in the 74-year-old theatre came long before her appearance on talent show Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.
The singing star is in talks with theatre officials to become the ambassador for the 1938 venue after her musical I Dreamed a Dream wraps up.
A portrait of Susan will hang in the foyer and a room will be named after the star if she agrees to the patronage.
Charles Earley, 60, chairman of the theatre board, said Susan was “thrilled” to be approached for the honour.
He said: “We approached Susan a short while ago about the possibility of her becoming a patron and she certainly was thrilled to be asked.
“We haven’t set a date yet because Susan is so busy with her musical and the jubilee but we’re hoping to finalise something by June or later in the summer.”
The chairman added it was high time that Susan was recognised for her stardom.
“She’s been involved with the theatre in the past and it would be great forWest Lothianto be able to recognise her for success.
“On the night we would have an official ceremony on the night and Susan would unveil a portrait of herself in the foyer.
“I’ve seen her at some performances in the past and she is fantastic. She always pays special attention to children with learning difficulties and it’s wonderful to see.
“She has achieved huge success internationally and it is about time West Lothian recognised her for that.”
Mr Earley was one of the first people to witness Susan’s talent when she sang at talent shows in her home town.
The singer performed Cry Me a River and Somewhere Over The Rainbow for her local fans across West Lothian.
But it was Mr Earley who told the star to ditch the well-known songs for I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables.
He added: “She came along to auditions and I asked her to sing something from Les Miserables because I knew she was a big fan of it. When she came in to sing I Dreamed A Dream, I was bowled over.”
It was this song which shot Susan to fame at her 2009 audition for Britain’s Got Talent.
Last year, Susan returned to the theatre to support local performers.
SuBo, who lives in Blackburn, signed autographs and posed for photos with her adoring fans.
The theatre recently underwent a £160,000 facelift in 2010.
Renovation work was completed by West Lothian Council, with the nine-month project seeing the former cinema building’s frontage restored to the original style of the 1930s.
Speaking about the transformation, Mr Earley added: “In the present climate, all theatres are struggling but we held a board meeting in January and were thrilled with the local support we received. A new director was appointed and we are confident that Susan’s involvement would give the Regal a new lease of life.
“If she was to become a patron, it would be not small thing for us and we’re very hopeful it will happen.”
