Campaigners including Sir Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson call for Oldham Coliseum to be reopened
Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Emma Thompson and Dame Vanessa Redgrave have backed calls to reopen the Oldham Coliseum.
The theatre closed its doors after nearly 140 years, despite a campaign by residents and actors to save it.
It came after Arts Council England (ACE) chose to drop the Coliseum from its funding portfolio after it was deemed "high risk".
Now the actors have signed their support to a letter published in The Stage, a media platform that covers UK theatre and the performing arts industry.
In September, Oldham Council's leader said the Coliseum theatre building could not have been saved and that it had reached an agreement with the theatre "more than ten years ago" that the building was "not fit for purpose".
The closure on 31 March resulted in 70 redundancies of staff, while plans for a new venue in the town centre’s "Cultural Quarter" will not be completed until 2026.
The letter raises issue to a review commissioned by Oldham Coliseum Trust which says the theatre "is not beyond repair".
While the Coliseum theatre company has been chosen for a new theatre in the town in the former Post Office and Quaker meeting house on Union Street.
Many campaigners say the fight to save Oldham Coliseum is far from over.
In March a new seven-strong board was appointed for Oldham Coliseum Theatre Ltd, headed up by new Chair of Trustees Duncan Craig.
The board commissioned local infrastructure organisation, Action Together, to examine the governance of the theatre.
It said it did not believe that the annual panto, which has always been the Coliseum’s main revenue maker, would not be able to return, in the new theatre's current incarnation.
Those behind the letter say that in response to these developments, a fresh call has been made for a positive conversation between local campaigners, artists, Oldham Council, Oldham Coliseum Theatre Ltd, and various funding bodies.
They say the objective is to "preserve" and "revitalise" the auditorium, extending it to include an expanded foyer, backstage area, and café-bar space while creating studios and rehearsal spaces suitable for the next 138 years.
Other famous names who have added their support to The Stage's letter include Julie Hesmondhalgh, Jim Broadbent, Dame Maureen Lipman, Christopher Eccleston, Maxine Peake, Sue Johnston, Barbara Knox MBE and Sally Dynevor.
In response to the letter, a joint statement from Oldham Council and the new Oldham Coliseum Theatre Board said: “We appreciate the support that this letter shows for local arts and culture – it goes to show how important theatre is to people in Oldham.
“Positive discussions continue between the new Coliseum Board, Arts Council England and Oldham Council to agree the future plans for the Oldham Coliseum Theatre and we will be considering all of the feedback received during the planning process as part of these discussions."
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