Two venues in the 2017 City of Culture have revealed that their doors will remain closed “for the foreseeable future”.
Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall, which see thousands of visitors every year, are considered to be key contributors to the city’s “newfound vibrancy”. Both venues are overseen by Hull Culture and Leisure (HCAL), but minutes of a recent senior councillor meeting suggest they will be forced to remain closed for some time.
The meeting notes recorded that “there exists no option for the reopening of theatres and halls in the foreseeable future”, and that there is “urgent need” for a plan to be put into place for when the furlough scheme draws to a close in October. There is hope that a joint bid by HCAL and the city council will secure funding from the £1.57 billion arts grant that was recently announced by Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden.
Despite the uncertain future of both venues, Hull New Theatre is yet to delay any theatre shows scheduled for September and October. This excludes the West End tour of Les Miserables, which was due to take over Hull New Theatre at the end of October, and has been postponed. The opening night of this year’s pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, is still being advertised for December 12th.
Words by Ellie Robson.
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