The Theatres Trust, a charity campaign which focuses on reviving UK theatres, has released its annual Theatres at Risk Register. The register, established in 2006, is designed to protect the facilities from closure by highlighting the challenges they face and the opportunities they present.
Since the list began in 2006, more than 80 theatres have been restored or revived due to their inclusion on this list. In 2023, three threatres, Century Theatre, Walthamstow Granada, and Swansea Palace Theatre, were removed.
Musician, actor, and Theatres Trust board member Gary Kemp said: “It is fantastic to see three significant theatres being removed from the list. The Theatres at Risk list is about finding the best use for buildings within their communities, so they can be enjoyed for many years to come, and these three theatres are shining examples of that.”
The Theatres on the Register this year are:
- Brighton Hippodrome Theatre
- Theatre Royal Margate
- Victoria Pavilion / Winter Gardens, Morecambe
- Dudley Hippodrome
- Hulme Hippodrome
- Plymouth Palace
- Victoria Theatre, Salford
- Groundlings Theatre, Portsea
- Spilsby Theatre
- Streatham Hill Theatre, London
- Theatr Ardudwy, Harlech
- Winter Gardens Pavilion, Blackpool
- Burnley Empire
- Garston Empire, Liverpool
- Intimate Theatre, London
- Mechanics’ Institute, Swindon
- Tottenham Palace Theatre, London
- Leith Theatre, Edinburgh
- Joe Longthorne Theatre, Blackpool
- Roundhouse Theatre, Dover
- Co-op Music Hall, Ramsbottom
- Doncaster Grand
- Garrick Theatre, Southport
Fortunately, many plans are in place to protect some of the theatres currently included on the Theatres At Risk Register. For example, Spilsby’s Sessions House received a Levelling Up bid that will enable them to carry out necessary renovation work.
Furthermore, despite the various challenges that theatres are facing in the current climate, no new theatres were added to the list in 2023.
Words by Abbie Grundy
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