Bosses of Oldham Coliseum have confirmed that the historic theatre has entered into a period of consultation with staff and is proposing to close the theatre at the end of March.
Last month, the Fairbottom Street Theatre, one of the oldest in Britain, announced the cancellation of all upcoming shows and events including its pantomime from late March as a result of 100% funding cut from Arts Council England (ACE). In November, it had applied for £1.84 million in funding to remain in the ACE portfolio for the next three years - a major part of its business model - but was unsuccessful despite Oldham being earmarked as one of the priority 'Levelling Up for Culture' areas.
Following the cancellation of its theatre programme people from the town, as well as stars from stage and screen who had performed there, spoke of their sadness at the news, with a number of Crowdfunder campaigns and petitions launched in support of the much-loved arts venue.
However, this morning representatives for the Coliseum have said the current financial situation is not sustainable for the running of a full-time theatre and that they are looking to close on March 31. They also confirmed that all events at the Coliseum until Sunday 26 March will go ahead as planned, and ticket holders for all other events will be refunded over the coming weeks.
In a statement confirming the news, a spokesperson for the Coliseum said: "Following the news on 4 November 2022 that Oldham Coliseum will no longer be part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio from 1 April 2023, the Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team have been working hard to find a solution to this reduction in funding.
"However, the current financial situation is not sustainable for the running of a full-time theatre. It is with great regret therefore that we announce that we have entered into a consultation period with all staff and it is proposed that Oldham Coliseum Theatre will close its doors on Friday 31 March 2023."
The statement added that the theatre is working with Arts Council England and Oldham Council to ensure a "smooth transition period" for the company, including funding to enable it to support its staff and honour commitments to artists.
Bosses added: "The Coliseum has been at the heart of theatre in Oldham for over 100 years, with a highly regarded history in the industry dating back to the Oldham Rep which launched the careers of many famous faces. Many of the Coliseum’s staff have lived in Oldham all their lives and worked with the company for over a decade. They are the priority for the company at this time.
"All events at the Coliseum until Sunday 26 March will go ahead as planned. Ticket holders for all other events will be refunded over the coming weeks. Any donations made to the theatre when booking tickets for cancelled events and Our Coliseum members whose memberships are due to expire after 26 March will also be refunded.
"The Coliseum would like to thank its audiences, participants, sponsors, partners, funders, patrons, industry colleagues and friends for their support over many years."
Having relied on funding from ACE for several years, and because Oldham was listed as a ‘Levelling Up for Culture’ place by ACE, the Coliseum hoped it would remain in the Portfolio for the next three years, however its application for £615,182 a year to 2026, was unsuccessful. At the time of the decision in November, Arts Council England said it had received a ‘record-breaking’ number of applications and consequently had to make ‘difficult decisions’ on where to distribute funding.
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