Sutton’s last remaining theatre warns that the curtain could fall for good without urgent funding for repairs.
Carshalton’s Cryer Arts Theatre, described by those running it as a ‘local venue for local people’, is hoping to raise £150,000 to tackle its aged boilers and draughty single-glazed windows so it can last for the next generation.
Despite a turbulent history, Cryer Arts has built a strong local following for offering ‘West End quality shows for village hall prices’. After battling its way back after COVID, the theatre also became a favourite among touring comedians like Harry Hill and local boy Tim Vine.
However, the venue now faces an existential threat, as its creaky infrastructure could soon force it to close if it’s not addressed. A public fundraiser has been launched to save the venue.
Cryer Director Gary Milsom told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We saw all of these issues and thought we might not see the winter through.”
Milsom, a sound technician by trade, is one of the local business owners who took over the venue in 2019. He added: “We’ve put blood, sweat and tears into this place—now we’re worried about just turning the lights on.”
While Sutton Council owns the building, the business owners are fully liable for the 1980s-built structure in historic Carshalton village. “The council used to run this and the Secombe Centre in Sutton, although they didn’t run them very well,” claimed Milsom.
Both theatres were sold off during the financial crisis, and the theatre was left in limbo until a small team of locals, including a publican, a construction worker, and a comedian, stepped in.
“There were bids from churches, gyms and even overtures from McDonald’s,” said Milsom. However, the new owners were in for a surprise upon being handed the keys in 2019.
Sitting in the venue’s main theatre, Milsom told the LDRS: “I really was not expecting it to be in such a poor state. Nothing really worked. Bailiffs had come in and completely stripped the place. There wasn’t even a stage left.”
The group poured in over £300,000 of their own money to bring the venue back to life. However, just as momentum was building, COVID hit, and the lights went out again.
“When we reopened in 2021, we were starting three miles behind scratch,” said Milsom. “But people were invested — they came back because they love what this place brings to the community.”
Since reopening, the team has hosted nearly 800 shows and welcomed over 40,000 visitors. From jazz clubs to am-dram, comedy to kids’ puppet shows, Milsom believes the venue has helped make Carshalton the ‘cultural quarter of the London Borough of Sutton’.
The venue has become popular with TV comedians like Chris McCausland, who test their tour material on the Cryer’s ‘very forgiving’ audiences. Milsom has also built an outdoor marquee to host shows and barbeques throughout the summer.
It is also a haven for tribute acts, with everyone from Simply Red to Elvis taking the stage in the form of tribute acts. Milsom added that Carshalton-local Ben Thompson’s Elvis act ‘is the only person who will sell out six nights in a row’.
However, according to Milsom, the venue’s current upkeep is becoming unmanageable. Its energy costs are in excess of £70,000 a year, with most of its investment going on the theatre’s 35-year-old boiler and single-glazed windows.
A recent lift failure cost £10,000 to fix, threatening the theatre’s accessibility. “We couldn’t ignore it — we want everyone to be able to come here, otherwise it’s not fair,” Milsom said.
Despite its modern appearance, Milsom says he finds faults everywhere that could ‘stop them in their tracks’. While the owners insist they have ‘never taken a penny’ from the theatre since day one, Cryer Arts’ status as a local business means grant funding is not possible.
Furthermore, with 70% of earnings going to performers, the owners have been left with no choice but to approach the community for help. There has been talk of match-funding or a sustainability pot at the council, but nothing has yet been confirmed.
A recent energy efficiency report commissioned by Sutton Council found that the building was one of the worst performers of all its stock. The owners acknowledge this and are trying to ensure a sustainable future for the theatre; Milsom told the LDRS that he has just taken quotes for rooftop solar panelling.
Cryer Arts employs 30 people and supports dozens more through freelance and creative work. Rodger Molyneaux, a co-owner of the theatre and the publican behind the CAMRA award-winning pub The Hope, set out their position, saying: “We are not a bunch of millionaires playing the game, we are local businessmen doing our best to improve things.”
For many regulars, Cryer Arts is more than a theatre — it’s a community. Milsom told the LDRS: “Some of the people that come here week in and week out feel like a gang. If you sit in the front seat, you feel like a part of the show. I suggest that anybody come here and see a show. I guarantee you will become a regular.”
The Cryer Arts fundraiser can be found here.
