The Coliseum is the last surviving professional, producing theatre in Oldham. It’s been in the town for over 100 years, survived two World Wars and a global pandemic, but at the end of March it will be forced to lower the curtain for the final time after losing its entire Arts Council England (ACE) funding.
In its 135-year history, the Fairbottom Street theatre, or ‘Coli’ as it is affectionately called, has been a training ground for a host of TV stars, including Coronation Street's Jean Alexander, Barbara Knox and William Roache, and a major employer of creatives across the region and beyond.
In November, it became the biggest theatre outside London to lose its £600,000 ACE subsidy, in a funding shake-up that sent shockwaves through the arts community. First, it cancelled all upcoming shows, including adaptations of I, Daniel Blake, Around the World in 80 Days, and its much-loved pantomime, then just a few weeks later, bosses confirmed the historic theatre had entered a period of consultation and would be closing its doors for good.
Amidst the upheaval, the theatre’s general manager Lesley Chenery suddenly passed away. Described as the “backbone” of the Coliseum, Lesley worked as head of production for several years and returned this January to steer the company in the aftermath of losing its funding.
This past Tuesday, hundreds poured into the Coliseum, not for one of its final shows, but as part of a public meeting organised by acting Union Equity, who are calling on ACE and Oldham council to save the space. “Hands off Oldham”, was the chant led by actress Maxine Peake as she hailed local theatres like the ‘Coli’ the “lifeblood” of communities.
She was one of several stars supporting the campaign, and was joined by union members and Oldham residents delivering impassioned speeches about what the Coliseum means to them, the community and arts in the north of England. As Corrie star Julie Julie Hesmondhalgh - an unwavering advocate for the theatre - eloquently put it earlier this month, there’s a deep sense of ownership of the theatre in the town, and its closure will leave a huge hole in the heart of Oldham.
Paul Hilton, an actor from Chadderton told the packed room: “I had no connection with the arts, the theatre, but I did a school play here when I was 15 and I found my calling – it was my touchpaper. What will happen to 13, 14, 15-year-olds in the next three years if they don’t have this space? We have to offer this opportunity for the next generation of artists.”
His account is similar to that of Oldham-born actor Sam Glen, who says the Coliseum helped launch his career. “I’m devastated by the news. I grew up going to Oldham Theatre Workshop and every summer we would perform a show at Oldham Coliseum - it’s what inspired me to become a professional actor.
“Without the Coliseum, this training resource wouldn’t have been possible. It breaks my heart that the next generation of children interested in drama won’t have these opportunities.” Sam has appeared in Coronation Street, performed a string of roles in London, and played Jack in the Coliseum's 2019 panto, Jack and the Beanstalk.
Despite calls for the Arts Council to reverse the decision or offer a more detailed explanation, neither the public body or local authority sent representatives to the meeting on Tuesday, to the ‘disappointment’ of the panel, which led to ACE being empty-chaired. The meeting also coincided with an earlier announcement by the council outlining plans for a new theatre space for Oldham in the Old Post Office and former Quaker Meeting House on Union Street.
Scheduled to open in 2026, it will cost more than £24 million and has not yet received planning permission, leaving many of Oldham Coliseum’s campaigners unsatisfied and with unanswered questions.
As Sam says: “Ultimately, the bigger thing for me is that there is access to arts in Oldham, if we lose that then that would be a massive tragedy. A new theatre space is positive but what upsets me is that we’re losing this rich history.
“Talking to other people who have performed there or worked there, there’s just this feeling of helplessness. Of course our union Equity is certainly looking into what can be done, but basically, and as you can tell from the conversations being had on social media, we won’t go down without a fight - the response has shown just how much we need places like the Coliseum in Oldham.
“We can sign petitions, launch crowdfunding campaigns, and voice our views on Twitter, but ultimately the theatre needs money. People have lost their jobs and a community has lost its theatre.”
As it stands, 70 staff, including around 30 full- and part-time staff, and 40 casual workers face losing their jobs once the consultation period ends on March 13. Its Spring-Summer programme, which was painstakingly put together, and span 17 shows - including three in-house productions - as well as the Khushi South Asian festival, will now not make it to the Coliseum’s stage.
The last show will be ‘How Not To Drown', a highly visual production charting an eleven-year-old boy's perilous journey across the Adriatic after being displaced by the Kosovo War. The Arts Council have agreed to an additional support of nearly £360,000 to help in the transition period, and, after the curtain closes, there will be a period of winding down operations at the theatre, equipment will be removed from the building and the keys will be handed over to Oldham Council.
And, while the council have unveiled plans for its new £24 million theatre, what will happen to the Coliseum once it is vacated is still not clear. No official statement has been given on whether it will be left to slip into further disrepair, or be demolished.
Amanda Chadderton, Labour leader of Oldham Council, said the Coliseum building was simply not fit for purpose and it was always the plan that the Coliseum would leave Fairbottom Street. “It is riddled with asbestos, the walls are falling down and we have done another survey recently and there are a litany of problems,” she told BBC News.
In the interim between now and the new theatre opening, the council have spoken of plans to use some of the £1.845 million from ACE granted to Oldham for cultural activities after the town was earmarked as a ‘Levelling Up for Culture’ by the body.
The plans would entail a roving theatre company putting on performances with the aim of maintaining and building audiences while the new theatre is built - something Maxine Peake and many others are highly concerned about. "They've got to pull their finger out, this is not good enough - a three-year wait? No way,” Peake said. “It’s people going by the wayside. Art should not be for the elite, it should be for everybody.”
Casting some doubt on the roving theatre concept, audiences on Tuesday night were told that if funding was not provided to keep the Coliseum afloat - even outside the Fairbottom Street building - it would not exist in three years. When speaking to those working at The Coliseum in recent weeks, this appears to be the crux of the issue - conversations about working with the new theatre feel very much hypothetical given Oldham Coliseum as a company and production theatre may not make it to 2026.
Speaking on Tuesday, Chris Lawson, the Coliseum's Artistic Director and CEO also voiced concerns over the councils' third plan in the last two decades for a new performance space. "That’s where people are understandably nervous, including ourselves," he said.
"The current plan isn’t as far along as either of the two previous iterations and they didn’t happen. I think people would feel a lot more confident in a new-build happening if we were a big part of it.
He added that as things stand, Oldham Coliseum as its known now, wouldn’t be able to pick back up in three years time. ”To be able to do that we need access to a percentage of the funds that have been ring-fenced, to be able to operate peripatetically around the town to be able to then build back up when we go into the building, and have a core which you’re starting from.
“We are the major producing organisation in the town so if we don’t exist is art and culture just parachuted in from elsewhere? If we’re not doing it, who is doing it?”
On Tuesday bosses revealed how a new £24.5 million theatre to replace the Coliseum could look, and the council is expected to formally accept the ACE grant for cultural activity for the next three years early next week. Council chiefs said the ‘more modern’ theatre would be smaller than the 585-seat Coliseum and would include an auditorium seating between 300 and 350 and a smaller 120-seat studio.
However, there is some scepticism about the timeline outlined by the authority, which states the new theatre is on target to be open by 2026 - with a planning application expected this summer. A previous masterplan for a new theatre, which was laid out by council leader Jim McMahon, suggested moving the Coliseum into a state-of-the-art £27m venue, but this plan was shelved in 2018.
Speaking with the Manchester Evening News before the new images were released this week, Ms Chadderton said: “The Coliseum had always planned to move out and become a roaming theatre, but in terms of a new building, previous incarnations have not come to fruition but new plans are now underway.
“For the Coliseum to have lost its funding is devastating for the town, people’s attachment to it is massive. Every single person from that town has a memory of going to the pantomime as a child. People are understandably worried about what happens going forward, but theatre evolves and changes and it will continue to go forward - there’s an absolute commitment to theatre in Oldham.”
On how the new theatre will come to fruition, the council leader also explained it has been looking to those who have “experience of running a theatre” and working with the combined authority to ensure they can deliver a “viable theatre that can stand on its own two feet”.
She said: “I don't want us to spend loads of money and be in this position in ten years time. It is important whatever comes next that it caters to demand and also gives people a sense of pride, something to get excited about and take their family too. It’s important that the people of Oldham feel like they own it.”
As it stands, there are few definitive answers for the people of Oldham and the staff at the Coliseum as to what theatre and the arts more widely in the Greater Manchester town will look like over the next three years - and much further down the line. Sadly, the only known answers concern the practicalities of handing over the keys the Coliseum at the end of March - a moment many across the town - and further afield - hope doesn't come to fruition.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
