
Five council-owned venues added to the at risk register are (clockwise from top left) Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh; Harlequin Theatre, Redhill; Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre and Theatre; Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock Chase; and Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre
Photo: (clockwise from top left) John Lord, Ian Capper, Google streetview and Wikimedia commons
Theatres under threat across ‘entire regions’ as council venues added to at-risk list
Of the 43 venues on the Theatres Trust 2025 at Risk Register, 15 are owned by local authorities.
Without sustainable funding, entire regions risk losing their theatres, sector bodies have warned in response to the publication of a list of venues under threat of closure across the UK.
The Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre cautioned that the addition of five council-owned venues to the Theatres at Risk Register 2025 was “sadly unsurprising” and urged government to commit £300m over 10 years to addressing the issue in the forthcoming spending review.
“With local government funding for culture in England slashed by 48% since 2009, many councils are struggling to maintain these vital cultural and community spaces,” said SOLT & UK Theatre co-CEO Claire Walker.
“A recent survey shows 40% of theatre buildings face closure without urgent investment. Theatre should be accessible to everyone, everywhere. Without sustainable funding, entire regions risk losing their theatres.”
The ongoing impact of RAAC
Published by the Theatres Trust, the annual Theatres at Risk Register comprises venues threatened with permanent closure, redevelopment or demolition that are also deemed to have strong architectural merit, cultural heritage or value to the local community.
The 43 venues on the 2025 list have a variety of landlords, including private companies, religious organisations and trusts, while 15 are owned by local authorities.
Of the five council-owned venues added to the register this year, the Theatres Trust said that Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre and Theatre and Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock are both at risk due to pressures on local authority budgets.
Three further new additions – the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh, the Harlequin Theatre & Cinema in Redhill, and Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre – have been closed for more than a year due to the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
The Brunton Theatre and Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre have been recommended for demolition due to predicted high repair costs, while a decision on the future of The Harlequin is imminent.
Theatres ‘vital to country’s soft power’
Speaking to The Today programme on BBC Radio 4, director of the Theatres Trust Joshua McTaggart explained, “The [register] is its 19th year now, and since 2006, we’ve managed to steward over 80 buildings back into some form of public use, not necessarily live performance, but a space for local communities.
He continued, “Theatre is an ecosystem; it’s vital to our country’s soft power, and this all starts with our local theatre buildings”.
Discussing how RAAC had impacted several theatre buildings on the at risk register, McTaggart said venues like the Harlequin were in need of capital investment of around £10m.
The musician Chesney Hawkes, who has performed at the Harlequin, added: “As a country, one of our most powerful exports is our culture… amazing musicians, actors, writers, they all need the infrastructure of these small theatres, these independent theatres up down the country, to get heard and make the fabulous output that we’re all so proud of.
“So every small theatre or venue that closes, surely it’s going to have a net negative effect long term, on the UK’s cultural output and finances.”
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