“Hands off Oldham,” proclaimed actor Maxine Peake as she led a packed crowd in a chant in support of the town’s Coliseum Theatre which faces permanent closure after more than a century of performances.
On Tuesday night (February 21) 400 people attended a public meeting at the Coliseum, organised by the acting union Equity, calling on Arts Council England (ACE) and Oldham council to save the historic theatre.
After being dropped from the Arts Council funding portfolio the Fairbottom Street venue is due to close at the end of March, with 70 staff facing losing their jobs.
