Oldham Coliseum announces plans to close its doors next month

Sad news has come out of Oldham today as the venue faced closure following Arts Council funding cuts.

The venue said in a statement:

“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 Coliseum is working with Arts Council England and Oldham Council to ensure a smooth transition period for the company,
including funding to enable support for our workforce and honoring commitments to artists. 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. If you have paid for tickets using a debit or credit card this will be refunded directly onto your card. If you
have paid for tickets using cash the Box Office team will be in touch to arrange an alternate refund method. 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 asks audiences to be patient whilst staff work through each transaction manually.

“The Coliseum would like to thank its audiences, participants, sponsors, partners, funders, patrons, industry colleagues and
friends for their support over many years.”

The highly controversial series of funding decisions made last autumn have caused shockwaves for many institutions, with the English National Opera, Hampstead Theatre and more facing intense funding cuts at a time of financial turbulence.