Trustees 'confident' theatre will reopen next year

A theatre in Staffordshire is among 10 across the country to receive support from a grant programme worth almost £75,000.

Cannock Theatre Trust is receiving a £7,000 share of the fund, which aims to support theatres at risk of closure with business planning.

The Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock was put at risk of permanent closure due to the district council's budget measures aimed at protecting essential frontline services.

The authority said earlier this year that talks had taken place with "interested parties" hoping to save the theatre.

"All the theatres on our Theatres at Risk Register are special buildings that have real potential to bring joy and opportunities to their communities," said Joshua McTaggart, CEO of Theatres Trust.

"We are thrilled to support 10 of these fantastic theatres with essential strategic projects that will lay the foundations for their revival."

Ben Farbrother, treasurer at Cannock Chase Theatre Trust, said the funding would be used to help support trustees with business planning, audience development and fundraising strategies.

These were "key areas" which the trustees felt they needed professional assistance with, he said.

He said they were currently in "a bit of a holding pattern" while the Cannock Chase District Council assesses its business model and future plans for the venue.

Cannock Chase Theatre Trust hoped to reopen the theatre "as soon as possible" after the completion of planned construction work which was going on around the theatre.

The work, under its original plan, would have seen the theatre temporarily close for at least a year, he said, and would mean the theatre would be closed until at least February next year.

Mr Farbrother said he was "very, very confident" that the theatre's doors would reopen under community ownership.

This could be in the summer or autumn of next year, if all goes according to plan, he said.

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