Theatres face demolition

Fifty-eight theatres face “threats from demolition, neglect, local development, funding cuts and closure”, according to The Theatres Trust’s 2011 Theatre Buildings At Risk register (TBAR). Many theatres in private ownership remain “closed or in a poor condition”, including the Brighton Hippodrome, Plymouth Palace, Doncaster Grand, Aberdeen Tivoli, Swansea Palace, Garston Empire in Liverpool and the Cochrane Theatre in London. Twenty theatres have been added to the 2011 list, but 18 have been removed, including Gardner Arts Centre/Attenborough Centre for the Contemporary Arts, Acorn Arts Centre in Penzance and the Arts Theatre in London. The Borough Theatre Wallsend, Garrison Theatre in Alsager, Ayr Civic Theatre and the Glasgow Coliseum have all been demolished in the past year. In happier news, although it appears on the “at risk” register, Wilton’s Music Hall in London has announced that it will stay open despite “some uncertainty” following the rejection of its £4m bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.