Oldham Coliseum has paid tribute to its general manager Lesley Chenery who died at the weekend aged 58
Lesley was head of production at the theatre for several years, and returned this January as general manager to guide the company in the aftermath of losing its Arts Council National Portfolio Funding. Last week, the historic theatre announced it would be cancelling all upcoming shows after losing its funding bid back in November.
Issuing a heartfelt statement on social media, the announcement from Oldham Coliseum on Lesley's death read: "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Coliseum General Manager Lesley Chenery this weekend.
"Lesley was head of production from 2013 to 2021, and returned this January as General Manager to help guide the company through the loss of NPO Funding. Lesley was the backbone of the Coliseum; her presence at the theatre over the past weeks has brought immeasurable relief to us all.
"She was a friend, a support and a rock to many current and previous members of Coliseum staff. Her knowledge, experience and love for the Coliseum and the team is unmatched. We will miss her beyond words. Our thoughts are with her family and friends."
Tributes were also left on the post from those who knew Lesley from her work with the theatre. One person wrote: "This is so sad. She was an amazing person to work with and is such a huge loss to the Coliseum community. Sending love and condolences."
Another wrote: "Devastating. RIP Lesley. The amount of support you've brought to us all in these last few weeks has been amazing. So glad to have known you if only for a short space of time."
And a third person shared: "So so very sad to have heard this news this morning. I loved working with Lesley, she was fantastic at her job but just awesome to be around. She brought a sense of brightness and can do, will do, already have done to all my encounters with her. What a loss. Condolences to her family friends."
Oldham Coliseum, one of the oldest theatres still operating in Britain, recently applied for £1.84 million in funding, but it's bid was unsuccessful. With a funding gap of £2 million, staff at the Coliseum said the financial situation was no longer sustainable.
Following the cancellation of its programme - including its hugely popular pantomime - people from the town, as well as stars from stage and screen who had trod its boards, and local politicians spoke of their sadness at the news, with a number of Crowdfunder campaigns and petitions launched in support of the much-loved arts venue.
READ NEXT
