Every single year it seems without fail there is an outcry from some corner of the theatre industry here in the UK regarding the failure of the Regional Theatres. Now am I really hearing this? Surely the truth is that the theatre industry is currently booming artistically and with the good box office receipts for shows such as Legally Blonde that the commercial side is doing well too. Of course Legally Blonde is a west end show but when there are regional tours of The 39 Steps, a west end favourite, coming this year then surely something right is happening. I can honestly say that in my area our local theatre has its best line up for the Spring Season in years, we have 10 quality plays between February and June visiting all vying for my money and all contain stars such as Kelly McGillis, Leslie Grantham, Gary Wilmot, Kate O’Mara, Damien Williams and Lee Mead. Also there are many respected theatre companies putting on productions, companies such as The Agatha Christie Theatre Company, Ian Dickens Productions, Kenwright Productions, Middle Ground Theatre Company and Black Eyed Theatre who were hailed as one of the most exciting companies currently in the UK by the Stage. Add in that there are several high quality amateur productions also being staged in the local theatres and there is enough to keep even the most ravenous theatre addict happy. Of course I understand that what is true in Worthing may not be true elsewhere but when I read about situations like that of the Redgrave Theatre Farnham I sometimes think that a lot of other places troubles are nothing but tragedies of their own design. Farnham in Waverly has a thriving Rep Company but no permanent home for said company. The Redgrave Theatre built for the original Farnham Rep is currently dark having been shut down by the local council in 1999 due to one disastrous season which saw revenues fall. The current company is doing great business but because the council has already sold the theatre off for development they are relegated to a tent by the side of the current theatre. I believe the saddest part of this tale is that the Redgrave is not an old theatre it was built in 1974 and is in perfect working order. So in Farnham we have a healthy market for decent theatre, we have a venue that is in mint condition but also a council that is disregarding this possible boon to their local economy. It’s just a crying shame that Waverly council cannot support the local Theatre Company by giving them another chance, instead they have sold it off and it will be demolished next year to make way for a new housing development. For more information regarding the Redgrave Theatre and the campaign to save it please go to this website http://www.farnhamtheatre.co.uk/RedgraveTheatre.html
The redevelopment of theatres on a regional scale still happens frequently; recently the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury was demolished to make way for a brand new venue under the same name. This will be the third rebuild for the Canterbury venue and surprisingly enough the City council decided that the price of renovating the old venue, whilst cheaper than a new build, would be just throwing money away as it would need more attention in the future and be unable to house the West End quality shows expected of such a prolific theatre.
Then there are the box office receipts for companies such as Birmingham Rep which despite the fact we keep getting it drummed into us every single year that Reperatory Theatre is dead still boasts full houses and true artistic creativity. Their work and that of many Northern Theatre Companies tour extensively throughout the country and many end up on the West End, so if companies such as Birmingham Rep and West Yorkshire Playhouse are creating new work that feeds the stages of the nations capital I would argue that the regional industry is far from dead and in fact we are on the brink of a new era of local theatrical excellence.
The other aspect that these journalists, who report the death of regional theatre every single year without fail, seem to conveniently choose to ignore is the vast amount of experimental theatre companies, dance companies and fringe theatres dotted around the country. In Brighton alone there is a large enough amount of alternative spaces for them to have their own Theatre Festival to rival, like an annoying little brother screaming at an older bigger brother, Edinburgh’s summer festival. There are hundreds of theatre schools around the country feeding the main drama schools in London with performers who are more often than not being trained not just in the tools of the trade to make you a great actor/dancer/singer but also being given the chance to create their own work and develop their own plays, shows and revues. Those that herald regional theatre as dead are just mourning the fact that the industry they knew is dead and gone; instead it has evolved into a more inclusive multi format, arts propelled industry which has more to do now with the cultural identity of the UK than any other time in history. Those of us who may mourn the death of a local rep company should really stop moping and look at what is being offered in our local area before writing it off and just spending that money for theatrical entertainment in London.
