Fire safety issue prompts temporary closure of historic theatre

Performances at the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds have been cancelled and the venue closed to the public due to a fire safety issue.

The theatre, which is part of Arts Council England's National Portfolio for the 2023-26 period, cancelled yesterday's (3 August) performance of Suffolk Young People’s Theatre’s, Ghost, The Musical.

A spokesperson for the theatre said it is working with relevant authorities to re-open as soon as possible.

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An announcement on whether scheduled performances for today (4 August) and tomorrow (5 August) can go ahead is due to be made this afternoon.

"It is with great regret that, due to an unforeseen fire safety issue, Theatre Royal has been forced to close to the public with immediate effect," the spokesperson said.

"We hope this is a temporary situation and are working hard with the relevant authorities to re-open as soon as possible.

"We are sorry to have disappointed both cast and audience members [for Thursday's cencellation] but the safety of both of those is our number one priority.

"We deeply regret this situation, but this is sometimes the nature of running and maintaining an historical building."

The theatre, constructed in 1809, is one of only eight Grade I listed theatres in the UK and is the only surviving Regency playhouse in the country that is still used for performances.

The 360-capacity venue underwent restoration in 2005 to reinstate features which had been lost.

The theatre has said that holders of tickets for affected performances will receive a full refund or be moved to an alternative performance if those are safe to proceed.