Croydon’s Warehouse Theatre goes into administration
Administrators
have been called in at the Warehouse Theatre, Croydon, after its board
of directors failed to raise sufficient funds to keep the venue in
operation. The current show, Call Mr Robeson,
completes its run on 20 May, after which the theatre will go dark.
The
south London venue, which was established in 1977, had its annual
funding of £125,000 from Croydon Council cut in 2005. It continued
to be funded by London Councils to the tune of around £60,000
annually after that point, with Croydon Council taking over after
London Councils cut its arts funding budget entirely in May 2011. The theatre
received funding from the Arts Council between 1993 and 2006, but was
refused regular funding by the organisation last year.
The
Warehouse has slimmed down its operations in recent years, commented
artistic director Ted Craig, making all but three full-time members
of staff redundant and relying on box office revenue. The final straw
came last month when Croydon Council made the decision to withdraw
funding altogether. With the Warehouse in debt to the tune of around
£100,000, Jeremy
Frost of Frost Business Recovery
stepped in yesterday following a meeting of the theatre’s board on 4
May.
A
statement from the venue reads: “In
addition to the theatre providing opportunities for new writers and
actors to develop their talents, the Warehouse has actively supported
local communities and charities in Croydon and would be sadly missed
by them all.”
The
theatre’s emergency fundraising campaign, which was launched last
Friday, has raised so far just over £1,400. “To continue”, said Craig,
“we’d probably need £200,000, although £30,000 would accomplish
something.”
