UK theatres at risk of becoming ‘too unsafe to use’

Two-fifths of theatres are in danger of becoming too unsafe to use within the next five years without "sustainable and systematic investment”, according to a report from the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre.

The survey, which involved 65 SOLT and UK Theatre members from across the UK, also found nearly 40% of respondents feared their business would be unable to continue operating without additional capital investment in the next five years, rising to 45% for theatres outside London.

To maintain current operations, 20% of venues reported needing more than £5m, while every survey respondent said they would require capital investment within the next decade for vital building maintenance or infrastructure.

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The report stressed the impact of ageing infrastructure on venues' ability to remain financially viable. Three-quarters of respondents indicated their running costs were likely to increase substantially without investment, while 65% reported they would lack of funds would prevent them from staging all the productions they would like to, and nearly 60% said they would be at risk of depleting their reserves.

The figures follow recent research from Arts Professional and financial benchmarkers MyCake, which showed the finances of arts and culture organisations in the UK are in a worse state than at any time in the past five years.

'Systematic and strategic'

SOLT and UK Theatre welcomed one-off cash injections from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport of £26.4m for upgrading the National Theatre’s stages and infrastructure and £1.6m for Theatr Clwyd’s renovation but called on the next government to take a “systematic and strategic approach” to investment in buildings.

“Investment in theatre buildings is crucial for the future of the industry,” said Jon Gilchrist, Joint President of UK Theatre. “These results show just how many theatres are in critical and urgent need of funding support to ensure that they’re fit for the audiences and productions of today and the future.

“Theatres are a source of economic and social good at the heart of local communities. The next government needs to support investment in cultural infrastructure across the country to enable creative excellence and innovation and to ensure the UK has a range of venues that can provide access to world-class theatre.”

'Sticking tape approach'

SOLT and UK Theatre cite Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP), which is seeking £30m to improve its infrastructure, as an example of how a lack of capital investment can hamper an organisation's ability to remain commercially viable.

TRP, the largest regional producing theatre in the UK, comprises three stages on its main site, which opened in 1982, and TR2, which opened in 2003 and houses a set building workshop and a Production and Learning Centre.

The venue says it has outgrown both locations, making them no longer fit for purpose, particularly for building or staging commercial work.

SOLT and UKT say that TR2 is turning down financially beneficial UK and international commissions due to a lack of space. Meanwhile, the infrastructure in its largest stage, The Lyric, is “dangerously temperamental”, having been in service for “well beyond its useful life”, jeopardising performances and risking discouraging commercial producers from bringing their shows to the region.

“As TRP’s funding from [Arts Council England] ACE and local government reduces, reliance on [income from TR2] is paramount to maintain the financial viability of the theatre, as well as the significant contribution to UK creative industries in terms of finance and skills,” said the case study.

“[In The Lyric] there have been several occasions in the last 18 months where shows have been jeopardised by faults in this system despite it being regularly maintained. A complete refurbishment and rewiring project must be undertaken… to mitigate the risk of losing performances.”

The venue also says outdated and inadequate access provision is becoming “critical,” warning that it has to use “a sticking tape approach” and that staff “live in fear of the next lift breakdown”.

'£30m needed'

A National Portfolio Organisation, TRP receives £1.2m each year for 2023-2026, slightly more than the £1.19m allocated in 2018-2022. Figures from ACE estimate that TRP contributes £36m to the economy of Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall, with the third largest economic footprint of any theatre in the UK.

Since 2010, TRP has received £14.94m of capital funding from ACE but says that to address its current issues, it needs £30m “in the very near future”.

ACE announced a new Capital Investment Programme in May 2022, supporting its Let's Create strategy. The programme saw £22.7m invested in 66 organisations to help improve their infrastructure over the 2021/22 and 2022/23 periods. In May, the programme's second round was shared £24.2m between 67 organisations.

The funding body does not plan to run an application round for the programme in 2024/25 but notes that capital funding for arts organisations is available through some of its other schemes, including the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants and Cultural Investment Fund.