Theatre Royal Margate – your questions answered
Since Thanet District Council announced plans to buy the Theatre
Royal Margate and details were revealed of a rescue package to save
the theatre for future generations, a number of questions have been
asked by people and many myths and rumours have been
circulating.
Here, the Council sets the record straight over its plans for
the theatre by answering some of the most common questions and
dealing with the large number of inaccurate stories that are now
circulating about the future of the theatre.
Why do you need to change what’s there at the
moment?
There are two main reasons. The first is that there is a growing
funding gap. The Trust has done a great deal to improve audience
levels in recent years, but annual running costs for the theatre
significantly outstrip income. With grants of £100,000, debts have
increased to six figures. Such a large gap between income and
running costs just can’t be sustained. A new approach, to make the
theatre more commercially viable and to safeguard its future, was
needed.
The main partners – Thanet District Council, Kent County Council
and Arts Council South East, together with East Kent Partnership –
appointed theatre consultants David Pratley Associates who
developed a new Business Plan, which was adopted by the Theatre
trustees. This set out plans for a more viable future with a
programme of two three-week seasons of professional high quality
productions, plus the traditional Christmas pantomime proposed for
the first year. Should the demand be there, then additional weeks
can be added into the seasons of professional drama, but the
important thing is to ensure that there is a good audience for the
shows that are being put on.
There will also be more opportunities for local people to get
involved with the theatre. The community programme will offer
workshops, performance groups, holiday activities, new writing,
heritage programmes and community productions. Amateur societies
and community groups will still be able to hire the theatre for
public performances and presentations. The Council is already
getting interest from local schools and community groups about the
new programme.
The second reason centres around audience levels. Although many
people will refuse to acknowledge this, change is needed because
audiences are not attracted to the theatre at present. Of course,
those who regularly attend performances may be happy with the
current situation, but let’s look at some facts. Between 2002 and
2006, the average audience at the Theatre Royal was 36% of the
theatre’s capacity. The most successful show is the annual
Christmas pantomime and in 2006 that was half full, attracting an
average audience of 184 people.
Even though total attendances have increased significantly in
the last few years, average attendances are still unsustainably
low. The Council cannot continue to put taxpayers’ money into the
theatre without significant changes being made. It’s important that
a wider audience can access performances and activities at the
Theatre Royal, and only once that happens will it become
sustainable.
Why will there be fewer performances in the future at
the theatre? How can you justify that?
Looking at the figures above, it’s clear that the Theatre Royal
is not drawing in the same levels of audience as other theatres
across the south east. Putting on more shows throughout the year is
effectively reducing the audience. The figures show that between
2002 and 2006, a total of 117 nights of professional drama were
staged at the theatre. In those four years, they attracted 9,400
people. It may sound like a lot, but that works out to just 80
people per performance on average, which is 22% of the theatre’s
capacity.
Regardless of how many people come into the theatre on any one
night, the operating costs, such as staffing and heating, are still
the same. Therefore, to get the best possible value for money, the
theatre needs to be attracting as many people as possible per
performance. That’s why the plan is for fewer performances in the
future, but the theatre will still be available for amateur
use.
I’ve heard the theatre will be converted into a
community arts centre – why are you planning to do
that?
We’re not converting it into a community arts
centre. The Theatre Royal Margate will remain as a theatre. That’s
why the Council is purchasing the building to ensure that it is not
used for other purposes.
Why is the Council closing down the theatre? You should
be restoring it.
The Council is certainly not planning on closing down the
theatre. That is nonsense. People seem to be getting confused
between the temporary closure planned from 10 April until the
autumn of this year, which will allow for some essential
maintenance work to be carried out. In particular, improvements
will be made to the public toilets and the backstage area and
disabled access will also be improved.
The longer-term plan is to provide the Margate Theatre Royal
Trust, who will continue to run the theatre, with a long enough
lease, so that the Theatre Royal Trustees can make a bid to the
Heritage Lottery Fund to refurbish the theatre. Other funders have
expressed interest in providing capital funding and in conjunction
with this and the theatre’s historical background, we’re hopeful
that a bid for Lottery money would be successful.
Other longer-term plans would include creating a bigger bar
area, where people could eat. Most successful theatres offer
bistros or restaurants of some kind, as that’s a good way to
increase income into the theatre. It’s vital that we look at ways
of bringing in more money into the Theatre Royal to make it
sustainable for the future.
What will happen to the theatre during the closure?
I’ve heard that the seats will be ripped out and the stage will be
changed.
This is simply untrue. The Council and the
Trustees have no intention of doing that whatsoever. We respect
that this a beautiful Grade II listed building and we want to see
it restored to its former glory, which is why the long term plan is
to make a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to do exactly that.
Doesn’t the closure mean that the Theatre Royal will
lose its audience?
The closure is taking place over the summer
months, because that is traditionally the quietest time for
theatres. Theatres have closed for up to a year and have
successfully come back with strong programmes and attracted good
audiences, so a closure of six months should not be a problem.
Why is the Council buying the theatre?
The Council is buying the theatre to ensure
that it is preserved for future generations. With the debts that
the Trustees currently face, the Council felt that the best way
forward was to purchase the building and then lease it back to the
Trust. In the process, the Trust’s debts would be wiped out,
putting them on a more secure financial footing. Had the Council
not intervened, it is possible that the Trust may have gone into
administration and the theatre might have been sold to the highest
bidder. Had this happened, there would be no guarantee that the
theatre would remain in its current use.
The Council is selling off its property. Doesn’t this
mean if the Council buys the Theatre Royal that it could just then
be sold off?
Definitely not. People are mixing two issues
up here. The Council has an Asset Disposal Scheme, which looks to
sell off property that is surplus to requirements. The theatre
would certainly not fall into that category. The Council is buying
the theatre to preserve it as a theatre for generations to
come.
Isn’t it true that the Council considers the Theatre
Royal as a threat to the Winter Gardens and that’s why you want to
buy it?
This is something else that is absolute
nonsense. The audience that the Winter Gardens attracts is a
completely different audience to the one attracted by the Theatre
Royal. They are not in direct competition in any way. We want to
see both venues succeed and we believe that the Theatre Royal can
stand on its own as an asset, as can the Winter Gardens. If the
Council really saw the Theatre Royal as a threat to the Winter
Gardens, as some people are suggesting, then the Council could
simply have withdrawn its funding for the Theatre Royal at any
point. We have not done this, we have instead increasing funding
and taken steps to preserve the theatre’s future, as we are
determined not to lose the Theatre Royal.
Why does the Council want to run the
theatre?
The Council is not planning to run the theatre
and has never planned to run it. We are planning to buy the
building and lease it back to the Trustees. The important thing is
to find professionals who can take the theatre forward in a new
direction to ensure its commercial viability. The Council accepts
that we do not have the expertise to do that, but what we can do is
help and support the Trustees to find the right people to put the
business plan in place. As soon as that has been achieved and the
theatre is on a more steady footing financially, the Council will
be stepping back and becoming less involved, although our funding
will of course continue and we will be maintaining a close watching
brief. A total of £75,000 towards the running of the Theatre Royal
has now been put into Thanet District Council’s budget for
the future.
How can the Council be trusted with the Theatre Royal
after all the problems with the Turner Contemporary?
It’s easy to get confused between different councils and the
work that they do. Thanet District Council originally responded to
the concept of a centre to celebrate Turner, his life and his
connection with Margate, as proposed by local resident and Margate
Civic Society member John Crofts. Kent County Council however is
the lead organisation in the delivery of Turner Contemporary and is
working closely with Thanet District Council and a number of
partners to bring the project to fruition. Turner Contemporary will
bring numerous benefits to Margate and East Kent, not least the
wider regeneration benefits and the development of further cultural
facilities. Turner Contemporary, along with the Theatre Royal
Margate and the Winter Gardens, will all form part of the wider
cultural offer available in Thanet.
Why are the current staff being made
redundant?
With the theatre due to close on 10 April,
there will obviously be no work for the coming months for the
current staff. Because of the way the theatre is changing
direction, the new jobs that will be there when the theatre
re-opens will be substantially different.
Are the Trustees being sacked?
Not at all. The Trustees will continued to
be the holders of the lease on the Theatre. The only change will be
that the freehold of the building will pass to the Council and in
doing that, it will be possible to write off the Trust’s debt,
putting them in a more secure financial position for the future and
allowing them to concentrate on successful implementation of the
business plan. The trustees have however accepted that their
membership should be substantially changed during 2007 to reflect
the new direction in which the theatre is heading.
There’s been no consultation on the future of the
Theatre Royal. Why not?
Consultation was held with user groups in summer 2006 about
potential future use of the theatre and perceived improvements. The
theatre will be opened to the public in August, so that they can
look around and find out more about the new programme and
opportunities for volunteering and involvement. These “open house”
sessions will particularly target those who are not familiar with
the theatre and will aim to help people understand the theatre, its
history and its future.
It’s true that there was no public consultation over the Council
buying the building, but the reason for this was because it became
clear as time went on that the Trust were worried about their
ability to deliver the business plan, unless action was taken to
tackle the debts. The only way to do this was for the Council to
purchase the building. This decision had to be taken quickly and to
head off the risk of permanent closure.
The Council must realise that a number of people are
opposed to the plans for the Theatre Royal. Why are you still going
ahead with your plans?
The Council is still going ahead with these
plans, because we believe that this is the only way to save the
Theatre Royal Margate. We share that in common with the people who
are so vocal about the future of the theatre. We are all united in
our aim to ‘Save the Theatre Royal’. We are pleased to see and hear
so many local people being passionate about the future of the
theatre, as it has taken the Trust and funding partners many months
to find and secure a safe way forward for it. We would ask that the
public continue to show their support to the theatre as it starts
on this new exciting phase. All ‘Open Days’, events and future
programmes will be advertised widely and we look forward to seeing
you at the Theatre Royal in the Autumn of 2007.