Oldham Coliseum cancels all forthcoming programming due to Arts Council England funding withdrawal
© Equity
The Oldham Coliseum Theatre has been forced to cancel all previously announced programming for the spring-summer 2023 season, as well as its pantomime production of Sleeping Beauty over the festive period.
In a statement released on Twitter, the venue commented: “Following the news on 4 November 2022 that the 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. The theatre put the pantomime on sale in November and announced the spring-summer season in early December with the best possible intentions, while still exploring options that may have enabled the continuation of the programme. However, the current financial situation is not sustainable for the season as planned. We are working with Arts Council England and Oldham Council to honour agreements with artists and producing partners.
“It has been an incredibly difficult decision to cancel the programme of events and we understand the disappointment this will undoubtedly cause. The Coliseum asks audiences to be patient whilst staff work through each refund transaction manually.”
Events up to 26 March are currently scheduled to go ahead as planned.
