Apologies, folks, for not having been around for a few weeks/days.

You may have noticed that my special friend, the owl of the Members' Area, has become concerned about theatres being closed down by pennypinching councils. Over recent weeks, we have watched the Swan in Worcester and the Priestley Centre in Bradford both bite the dust in spite of local protest.

Both of these theatres are still standing and could be brought back into use under careful and caring managements. Would anyone who lives or works near to these please keep an eye on them and drop me an e-mail from time to time if the situation changes or any news of future use is mooted.

Additionally, if you hear of a theatre under threat of closure in your area, please let me know and we can start an amdram campaign, involving theatre-lovers nationwide.

This is a new idea - to campaign through amdram in the interests of Theatre. It needs developing carefully and effectively. Direct e-mail address: jonah@amdram.co.uk

How very sad to hear that.
I see through this forum that a lot of groups have their own theatres so maybe it could be an idea for several amateur groups in the area to group together and share in the purchase or management of the theatre giving them a permanent production and rehearsal venue? Surely there must be grants available, or sponsorship to help out. Councils close places down because they dont want to spend but if someone else is picking up the tab or a part of it, they might be inclined to reopen them.
I suppose I'm just looking at the world through rose coloured glasses

The groups in our area all got together to build a theatre, in fact we have a converted elecricity building. It's owned and run by Guildford Borough Council but we kit it out and upkeep the equipment. It's in use all year, fully booked 2 years in advance, but it still needs an annual subsidy of half a million from the council.

It's not as easy as all that. THe council have to subsidise it by ?8 per ticket on average.

About 15 years ago, local societies bought the Pendle Hippodrome, a beautiful old theatre with a history of famous variety acts. It had been converted to a bingo hall, then left unused and rotting to dereliction. It has now been fully restored and hosts shows and avents all year round. The groups had to raise a lot of money, as the restoration cost over ?250,000, but they now have a beautiful 500 seat theatre.

If you can get in before the developers, it's worthwhile!

i hear the Secombe Centre in Sutton, Surrey is due to close due to "lack of support" not sure what that means exactly but I guess it needed better marketing.
I'm sure if he was still here Harry wouldn't let it happen

Thanks, all, so far... thank you very much!

Maybe I should fill in the form that will tell about my background, but, from a VERY active career in Theatre, I am now stuck at home - can't even go and WATCH a play, which (I'm sure you can imagine) is frustrating.

It means, however, that I can take up the cudgels on behalf of high standards, in support of anyone who states a need. It seems to me that this subject - the vandalistic closure of our theatres - is a matter of interest to us all. I'll suggest to Janie that we make it a major heading on the board.

All three theatres mentioned so far are still standing, so maybe we can get together, pool our energies in their defence. Please state your opinions.

Love and thanks from Uncle Roddo xxx

Hi

I posted this elsewher on amdram, then stumbled on the same strand elsewhere on the site so here it is again!

A bit off topic I suppose, But I wondered how many on this list have knowledge of local councils shutting the local theatre/arts venue. I work in the amateur world in Hertfordshire and in the last six months or so we have had the Pavilion in Hemel Hempstead shut and flattened and now I see that the Watersmeet in Rickmansworth is going the same way! It would be interesting, though depressing to have a straw pol on this list of venues now lost to us all.

Cheers

Nick Taylor

Gud onya ?Uncle Rod? It would be great to start a push to save Theatre?s from closure!
It might even spread to here????
We have a Community Theatre?s in most Council areas But beyond supplying a hall! (which is charge by the hour!} They do SFA , although they have budgets for the Arts. Which to their mind is sending Councillors & their families to Disney Land - on a fact finding mission!

We have attempted in the past to have ?A people?s Theatre" - His Majesty?s in Perth is one, that is owned by the state Government & administered by a private Company "Ogden International? - where the hire cost is that prohibitive, unless you are given a lot of Gold Bricks - you have no show in using the venue. It seems our politicians know all about theatre as they only go - if they given complementary tickets,. So that makes them expert enough to be the Minister for Arts or the Council representative for the Arts, because they once played the recorder in the primary school band.
So chookas - I hope it happens!!!

Just in case you missed our hollow boast in "Jonah's Jottings", of the four theatres that were reported to andram and me as being about to close, all four have been saved!! Each one is staying open, with changes to their management structure. You can catch the details in "THEATRE CHOPPING LIST".

Please keep the candidates coming - whenever you hear a whisper that some innocent little theatre has had its neck shoved onto the "cost-cutting" chopping block by short-sighted and pennypinching councillors. Let's remind them how they got to be councillors.

Chookas...

Rod O' xxx mwah mwah

Extending this topic slightly, found the following article about smaller theatres under threat although bizarrely Chas and Dave take part of the blame ...

QUOTE

Even so-called sure-fire hits like the Chas and Dave shows are no longer pulling in the crowds.

Just found this as well which also mentions the Swan in Worcester!!

QUOTE (Eeyore @ Jan 23 2003, 4:48 PM)

I hear the Secombe Centre in Sutton, Surrey is due to close due to "lack of support"

The hot new on this is that the council are taking this venue and it's annex the Charles Cryer Studio Theatre back under it's wing (good news for Ryano) I believe they were both being run by an association - I stand to be corrected on that though

Anyway good news

Apparently the idea is to run it as a 'halls' rather than a theatre. We have yet to find how we will be affectted by this. There was an advert in 'The Stage' this week for a Business Manager so hopefully things are moving.

That'll be good. I enjoyed performing there. Its a nice venue.

What were you in?

Oh gwad - now you're asking...

Well I did Hello Dolly with a group called Upstagers.

I did a couple of others but can't remember. (It was best part of 10 years ago...)

QUOTE (Ryano @ Mar 7 2003, 5:08 PM)

Apparently the idea is to run it as a 'halls' rather than a theatre.

Doesn't a rose by any other name still smell like a rose so they can hall it what they like as long as they let you perform shows in it .

QUOTE (Zorro @ Mar 6 2003, 5:42 PM)

Extending this topic slightly, found the following article about smaller theatres under threat although bizarrely Chas and Dave take part of the blame ... QUOTE Even so-called sure-fire hits like the Chas and Dave shows are no longer pulling in the crowds.

Have just re-read this thread, andthought you'd like to know Chas & Dave are performing tonight to a FULL house at our local thatre.

Anyway, we do get support from our council and we have a group that actively promotes the Arts in our town. Surely we can't be that unusual? The theatre isn't completely booked all year but we're aiming at that. I suppose it's just a bit disheartening when you book a well known name and don't get the support from joe public.

QUOTE (Zorro @ Mar 7 2003, 6:38 PM)

QUOTE (Ryano @ Mar 7 2003, 5:08 PM) Apparently the idea is to run it as a 'halls' rather than a theatre. Doesn't a rose by any other name still smell like a rose so they can hall it what they like as long as they let you perform shows in it .

Correct, but it might be the end of our 'special' arrangement and we may have to operate like mere mortals.

QUOTE (ChrisD @ Mar 7 2003, 7:08 PM)

Have just re-read this thread, andthought you'd like to know Chas & Dave are performing tonight to a FULL house at our local thatre.

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit ...

QUOTE (Zorro @ Mar 7 2003, 7:13 PM)

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit ...

Does one gather that one is not impressed with this style of entertainment?

That's what Cas n Dave sing isn't it?

Our theatre was built 6 years ago, primarily for amateur use. It was expected to be booked up for around 40-50% of the year, with the rest of the time it being available for companies to hire as a conference facility or similar. The Borough Council paid for the rebuilding and extension of an old existing building, and the groups raised the money to fit it out - everything from carpets to seats to drapes to lighting to bathroom fittings to gaffa tape!

Almost since Day 1 we have been booked almost solidly for 2 years ahead (the furthest we're allowed to book up). About 50% of this is amateur groups performing 1-week shows, most of the rest being festivals (drama/music/book/dance, etc) and one-nighter weeks. Guildford School of Acting take 6 weeks per year for their end-of-term shows.

On Sundays (get-in day) we usually have Comedy Club in the theatre bar (virtually always a sell-out) and have had the likes of Lenny Henry entertain us. We used to have a church group meet there on Sunday mornings until the logistics got too complicated!

Our green room is used by the Childrens' theatre group most weekday evenings, and by the Academy of Contempory Music each daytime - and ACM also have the auditorium on Thursday and Friday daytimes.

On top of this, the odd night that the theatre isn't booked, it usually gets hired for birthday parties, quiz evenings, AGM's and even weddings.

We have job to find time to 'go dark' for 2 weeks' maintenance.

Many of our shows sell out, especially musicals. All our front of house staff are fully trained volunteers.

We pay a weekly or daily hire for the theatre, plus they take approximately 12% of box office takings. But this theatre, which is 'buzzing' for approximately 14 hours per day, 7 days per week, is still having to be subsidised by the Borough Council at approximately ?8 per theatre seat sold, in order to break even! And many people write to our local rag complaining about the drain on the Borough's resources, and want the place closed down!

When the river burst its banks a couple of years back, the group members turned up at the theatre in the middle of the night, and spent the night waist-deep in water moving lighting and other essential equipment out of the basement to safety. No-one called these people, they just came.

This is a hugely successful theatre with an enormous variety of entertainment on offer, but if you're not a theatre goer.......well, you can see their point, can't you? It's sad, but it's true. And I know some of us would feel the same about closing down another seemingly worthless but expensive building to save money! It depends on what your interests actually are.

So what can we do? Nothing except market our theatre to the widest possible range of people, encouraging them all to use it as a facility, even if it's just to be their local bar or restaurant....and keep our fingers crossed.

But how many of the societies running big shows in your theatre break even on the show? How many societies put smaller shows or other kinds of fund raisers on all through the year to help fund the [loss-making] big theatre shows?

QUOTE (Zorro @ Mar 21 2003, 5:03 PM)

But how many of the societies running big shows in your theatre break even on the show? How many societies put smaller shows or other kinds of fund raisers on all through the year to help fund the [loss-making] big theatre shows?

Most groups aim for a break-even.

Musicals do tend to make a loss because they are sooooo much more expensive to put on, so the musical groups usually do a panto to make up the difference.

Plays usually break even or make a profit. As an example, our recent production of "Office Party" sold an average 100 tickets per night (we can seat 180) and made a final profit of ?400. Panto usually makes ?1,000-?1,500 profit, and a musical averages ?1,000-?2,000 loss.

A play very rarely has to hire in extra sound or lighting equipment, so the basic ?900 theatre hire will cover all sound and lighting costs. For a musical we invariably need to hire a large quantity of technical equipment - up to ?6,000 per week - on top of the theatre hire.

Of course, there's the performing rights. Usually ?200 or so for a play for a week. For a musical it is usually 17% of the total box office takings (for my next show that's an estimated ?3,500) on top of the Borough Council taking approximately 12% of total box office takings as well!

Fund raising is an important part of the marketing plan for a show, and a director must always put forward a budget when they suggest a particular show, which will include how they expect to raise the shortfall. And there are some very inventive ideas! These can include putting on a 'one-nighter' musical evening, quiz evenings, car boot and jumble sales, murder mystery parties, wine tasting evenings, laserquest outings, and so on.

Groups that do just straight plays usually manage to keep on an even keel, and rarely have to do much fundraising - they can just put on a Wilde or a Coward, and know they'll sell well!

A musical group who is stuck for a bit of cash can usually muster up a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta on a very low budget, and they're pretty likely to sell well too.

But none of this helps the theatre economy. The theatre still only gets the weekly hire charge plus 10% of the box office takings (the remaining 2% being credit card fees) - so the better the sales for a particular show, the more the theatre can make.

I think I've said before, but I did part of my training in the Lowry Centre (it was Bradford Playhouse back then)

It's a crying shame to see it go, it must have lost a lot of strength and volunteers since I was there ('87)

QUOTE

THEATRES UNDER THREAT OF CLOSURE, URGENT!!!

It seems absurd that theatres are coming under threat of closure when the government and some local councils have been competing against each other to "prove" that their city is "cultured"

Liverpool and Newcastle & Gateshead were even favourites for such accliamed status and have thrown cash left, right and centre into various things (modern art and the such-like) perhaps this would have been an ideal platform for the smaller groups such as societies/drama groups to gain support.

Not that I am saying that anyone that watches a small production is in someway "cultured". But I do think that it was a missed opportunity. Then again, perhaps this whole "city of culture" thing wasn't about culture at all but a sly attempt at increasing the property value of run-down areas and the arts were just secondary

I know that councils have been subsidising productions in small theatres but the sums we are talking about come no-where near the monies that have been pumped into the largest theatres in London.

Just my little Monday morning rant...

ahhh, coming from sunny Liverpool I could tell you a tale or three...

Part of the problem (and it's a big problem) is that societies tend (in my experience) to have the resources to access funding and lobby the powers that be. I've raised 5,000 quid for my group and both times I found out about the money by accident.

Liverpool's multi-billion pound regeneration industry doesn't get voluntary and community arts at all but Liverpool's multi-billion pound regeneration industry doesn't get voluntary and community *anything* at all.

I've followed this through, and thought it best to highlight the particular circumstances that surround the possible closure of The Abbey Theatre and Arts Centre, Nuneaton (not far from you Rod).

The building is a converted drill hall that has been leased rent free from the council since the 70's. As landlords they cover the cost of buildings maintenance (usually the structural type things) and funding for all other overheads and developments are managed by the volunteers that form the charity, Nuneaton Arts Council.

We've had our problems in the past, but over the last 3 years have got things together on a reasonable footing, and have been buying new equipment and extending facilities.

In February, a rewiring project was carried out. An inspection in March discovered asbestos.

As a result the auditorium has been closed whilst decontamination was carried out.

We are now in the situation where we have no sound and lighting boards, a third of the seats have been removed, and there has been an associated loss of revenue due to having to cancel bookings.

It transpires that the landlords knew about/suspected the presence of asbestos, but didn't inform the tenants!

Needless to say, there are now protracted discussions with the local authority to obtain financial assistance to the tune of ?60,000, in order to repair the damage caused, and replace what was lost.

In the interim the auditorium remains closed, although the rehearsal rooms are now available again.

Jane, can I please through this forum, request for assistance from any person, theatres, organisations, or bodies,who may be able to help in patching up what we've lost.

I'm really looking for second hand equipment that can be donated, or can buy at a reduced rate. Specifically sound and light desks, and 90 theatre seats.

Sorry for this bit of a diatribe - full details are posted on www.abbeytheatre.co.uk.

I know that we ALL need assistance - the main difference in this situation is that it is a one off call for help, purely to get us back to the good footing the Abbey Theatre was on before.

Thanks for your patience.

Dave Sedgwick.

dave@theabbeyplayers.co.uk

Is there no way of getting Insurance to cough up?

A hire company we deal with is refitting various buildings and has certain lighing and sound equipment good prices second hand

VME Sound and Light Hire
01625 585525
Ask for Deon or Andrea

Tell them Bob Nixon from MADS has put you on to them no promiss but they are a very good company

Thanks Pulsar,

We've been down the insurance route, and they don't want to play (surprisingly!) and that includes the contents insurance and the building insurance.

I'll check with the techy guys what specs are required for the boards and give VME a bell.

Sedg.

I realise this won'ty help you Nuneaton - But this is where your Lottery money goes!
English National Opera win Lottery Grant of 23 Million quid!
So this might open the door for communuty theatre to get in for their chop!
This was in the bpapers here:-
June 18 2003 June 18 2003 Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
A lot is happening at the ENO, but it's all in the wings for now
June 18 2003 Sydney Morning Herald, Australia -

"A lot is happening at the ENO, but it's all in the wings for now
He overcame leadership hurdles in Perth and now Sean Doran is facing a more mammoth challenge in London, writes Roger Covell.


The situation of Sean Doran, just 10 weeks into his five-year term as chief executive and artistic director of the English National Opera, could seem a newly appointed opera administrator's nightmare.

His physical domain, the 2358-seat Coliseum Theatre in London's St Martin's Lane, went dark last week and is not due to reopen until February.

His company will make token appearances in concert performances of Wagner's Ring at the Barbican later this year but will be largely absent from the London scene for the next eight months.

His temporary predecessor, Caroline Felton, instituted wide-ranging redundancies to deal with what the company chairman, Martin Smith, described as ENO's bankrupt state; and the chairman himself was described earlier this year by the editor of the London monthly Opera as having a scarifying lack of self-awareness.

Fresh, if a little bruised and battle-hardened, from his four extremely lively years as director of Western Australia's Perth International Arts Festival, Doran lets the Irish lilt in his voice sound an optimistic note.

He says the temporary disappearance of his company gives him time to think constructively instead of submerging himself immediately in a relentless schedule of performances.

He inherits the consequences of the company's program of redundancies but, as a new boy, so far carries little or nothing of its acrimonious baggage.

He makes the best of the fiercely criticised decision, dating from before his arrival, to reduce the size of the ENO chorus: "The chorus of 62 comes down to 50. The original target was 40, which is the size of the Covent Garden chorus.

So 50 is still a handsome figure in this day and age; and we will supplement it for the bigger productions. I don't think it need compromise quality."

Even if the period before the Coliseum reopens seems unproductive in a public sense, it is the prelude to significant celebrations. ENO will reach its 30th birthday under its present name next year, an anniversary recalling its ambitious transformation from Sadlers Wells Opera after the English-language company migrated from its modest original theatre.

The Coliseum itself will be 100 years old, commemorating a prominent achievement of London's theatrical boom a century ago.

The building has had little spent on it since. Its auditorium, which will have its capacity increased slightly to 2400 (holding about 300 more people than the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden), has declined from showy pomp into moth-eaten dinginess.

Its cramped foyers are notoriously unfriendly. This will change next year as the result of a major restoration program, already under way and costing ?41 million ($103million[AU]).
Here the news is encouraging. Arts Council and Heritage lottery funds are providing ?23 million of the total and ENO itself is within ?2 million of raising the balance. An Arts Council stabilisation grant allows for a protected deficit while the theatre is closed. The chorus have agreed to go onto two-third salaries for that period. But the front-of-house refurbishment will leave the antiquated backstage areas almost untouched. While the Coliseum will look handsomely complete from the point of view of the audience, one of Doran's prime tasks will be to persuade donors that the job is only half done. In the process of looking for an executive director and a chief producer as his deputies, Doran declares himself thoroughly convinced by his Australian experience of the importance of balancing artistic flair with fiscal care: "My time in Perth has taught me a lot in terms of management and finances and how to work with people. If you arrive at the table to present wonderful ideas to the board, you have to arrive with the money as well."

Responding to comments that he has no experience of running an opera company, he argues that his university years and his study of clarinet at London's Guildhall School gave him some musical and theatrical grounding.

He was artistic director and conductor of a London-based music-theatre ensemble, Innererklang, from 1985 to 1990, commissioning works from young composers.

"One of the reasons I accepted the job was that I do believe ENO is one of the few opera companies that has the ability to develop the art form itself. My ideas will come from continuing to learn exactly how this company ticks and how far I can stretch it."

London itself has changed. "It's very different to five years ago. Places like the Barbican are now ... presenting opera in concert and semi-staged performances. Even the Royal Opera House has taken up the PR initiative, putting big screens up for outside relays of the performances. There's the National Theatre presenting things like Jerry Springer - the Opera. So you have to ask what we at ENO have to do to get back in the forefront."

Ideas on the run tumble from him: developing middle- and small-scale events to run parallel with the major productions required in a large auditorium; co-producing with the National Theatre or other theatrical organisations; crossing genres with singer-songwriter evenings; above all, making the refurbished Coliseum come alive beyond actual opera performances.

"We'll have some new bars, rooms and other spaces in the restoration, so we'll be going into pre-opera events.

"At present we just open and close. You're all out of the building within half an hour. That's going to change."
June 18 2003 Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

hookas
oe

It seems to be an International thing!
That we have Opera & Ballet Companies, who can?t handle their own finances responsibly & are constantly getting bailed out by Government Arts grants.
So much so the more responsible you are - the more it is required that you do more with less. Like the small community theatres, based in villages or outer City suburbs, struggling to keep their books in the black - while still managing to do 5 or more productions a year getting sweet fanny Adam?s from the public purse. While these arty bludgers can only manage 1 or 2!
I realise on the scale of things, we are singularly not even a drop in the bucket - but collectively - we appeal to a greater numbers of punters, while also attracting more numbers of people, who do IT - than the those on state support benefit hand outs.
When funds are argued for in various places - one of the main reasons for granting funds to these bludgers, is so it will reduce the cost of the seats for the audiences - but this never seems to come about. They charge, in most cases, more than the Pro Theatre Company productions do - while using the same venues.
I wonder why that is?
Gahla!!! I know why that is!
Simple - they spend more to do less!
Or they are completely incompetent & top heavy, with all the hangers on. That are supposedly needed for administration of their traditional jobs, that have been superseded by modern methods or technologies. What do these people do & how do they justify holding their hands out each pay day - for the ?Golden Eagle? to land &disallowed word in it!
They all go to the brink of bankruptcy or go into in the red, as regular as clockwork. Giving to some Government Art flunkey the opportunity of making a big fella of themselves by helping them out. At the same time ensuring that they inturn receive the best season tickets for them & their families.
Until these groups of Art bludgers, can be made more accountable & responsible management of their finances. It might be kinder if they go down the tube! Thus allowing the theatre arts, like water, find it?s own level with evenly spread support from the coffers.
Chookas
Joe

joe if you can, get hold of Kingsley Amis' "An Arts Policy?". He wrote it years ago (early 80s IIRC) but you'll find a kindred spirit.