This year the Theatres Trust’s newly-published Theatres at Risk List has by far its largest number of new additions as the impacts of COVID-related uncertainty continue to bite.
The new additions to the list have been helpfully categorised into sections including Local Authority Closure or Disposals, where local authorities reduce their bricks and mortar holdings due to financial pressure. This has caused the addition of
Clair Hall in Haywards Heath
Netherton Arts Centre in Dudley
Thameside Theatre in Thurrock
Theatres in Other Use Put up for Sale by private owners where their businesses have been negatively impacted by COVID caused the addition of
Garrick Theatre in Southport
Imperial Theatre in Walsall
Threat of Demolition and Redevelopment is an ever-increasing threat, as developers eye attractively large-footprinted sites to build, and Councils feel the weight of central Government expectations to fulfil their ambitious annual new housing quotas, at the risk of withdrawing funding if they fail. This threat has caused the addition of
Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallet
Borough Hall in London Borough of Greenwich
Roundhouse in Dover
Vacant and Deteriorating properties suffer from a compounded neglect which pushes them closer to being unrecoverable. This has brought these theatres into the list
Globe in Plymouth
Regent Theatre in Great Yarmouth
This covers the new additions.
Progress
On the brighter side, there is encouraging progress that is being made at several of the existing listees, including Morecambe Winter Gardens, Burnley Empire, Leith Theatre and others.
However….
We need to put this in perspective and remember the dozens of other theatres at risk on the list, including the fine Dudley Hippodrome now slated for demolition, and the Hulme Hippodrome at immediate risk of being too far gone to recover, who reminded us on Twitter (below) that there are six at risk theatres in Greater Manchester alone.
You can read the full Theatres at Risk 2022 list here or simply view the listings here
