Theatres 'at risk of permanent closure' - trust

The UK's second oldest working theatre and Dover's only theatre are among those at risk of permanent closure, it has been revealed.

Theatres Trust assesses the venues most in danger using criteria including community value, workability as a theatre and level of threat to the building.

Margate's Theatre Royal and the Roundhouse in Dover are among 43 venues on the Theatres at Risk Register, which also includes Brighton Hippodrome and Clair Hall in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.

The Harlequin Theatre in Redhill, Surrey, is a new addition to this year's list.

The Grade II listed Theatre Royal, first built in 1787, closed in 2022.

It has been slated to reopen by 2027, with Thanet District Council allocating £2.8m towards the project at the end of last year.

Kayleigh Stevens-Keatley, marketing manager at The Granville Theatre in Ramsgate, which reopened in 2023, said it was possible to bring venues back to life.

She said: "It was all hands on deck, every friend, every family member, every single grafter that we could find. It wasn't an easy task at all but we did it and now we're thriving."

Margate resident Sinead Schaverien said she believed that "bringing in talent and community spirit" could only help the town.

Built in the 1980s, the Roundhouse has also been out of use since 2022 - the same year it was added to the Theatres Trust list.

Plans to convert the building into office space were withdrawn by Kent County Council, which said it was now focusing on community cultural activity within the venue.

Covid-19 prompted Clair Hall to close in March 2020.

Marion Wilcock, from the Save Clair Hall campaign, told BBC Radio Sussex, said: "What you can do in Haywards Heath is very limited because there are no venues."

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.