Oldham Coliseum: Closed theatre's board to move to new £24m venue

A board set up to oversee the closure of a 135-year-old theatre and its legacy is set to be the anchor tenant for a new theatre.

Oldham Coliseum shut its doors in March after losing all its funding from Arts Council England (ACE).

The theatre was unable to come up with a rescue plan despite a campaign to save it backed by actress Maxine Peake.

Oldham Coliseum Board said it would work with the council on the new £24m theatre and its cultural programme.

An emotional night of performances and tributes led by Peake and actor Christopher Eccleston brought down the final curtain on the Coliseum.

Oldham Council had said the playhouse building was not fit for purpose and had a "litany of problems" including asbestos as it unveiled plans for a new theatre supported by the ACE which has pledged almost £1.85m for performing arts in the borough.

Oldham Coliseum Board said on its website: "We've agreed to be the anchor tenant for Oldham Council's new purpose-built theatre, scheduled to open in 2026 on Greaves Street."

"At the same time, we've taken up a seat at the table of the council's Performance Space Partnership Board with a view to supporting the development of the new space and its inner workings.

"We've also been working closely with Oldham Council on supporting the development of their proposal to Arts Council England for the £1.84m funding to deliver a cultural programme across the borough between now and the opening of the new building, which the Coliseum will lead."

It said it had "started considering how a new venue could operate in Oldham, how we could commission and produce new work and how we could collaborate with other arts organisations and community groups", adding it was "exciting as there's so many opportunities".

It said once the funding for the cultural programme was confirmed and discussions with other key stakeholders had taken place, it would announce "what part we will play in that offer".

Oldham Council said plans for the new theatre, set to be finished by 2026, would be submitted in the summer.

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