We’re part of a national initiative launched by Theatres Trust to prevent the permanent closure of UK theatres. Please support our campaign.
by Chris Ryde in Monmouth, Wales, United Kingdom
We operate a Grade 2* listed building, the maintenance of which is costly and continuous. Therefore any extra money received will go towards infrastructure improvements, particularly those already identified as necessary to reduce our carbon footprint and our energy costs. We are looking in particular at new windows, and a destratification fan to reduce heating bills.
Ten years ago the Savoy was bankrupt and in danger of closing. In November 2019 it won the Theatre of The Year given by the Welsh Hospitality Awards. We have come a long way in ten years without any form of state aid and we want to be around in another ten when the present building will celebrate its centenary. The Savoy stands on the oldest post-Roman theatre site in Wales and a permanent theatre was first established here in January 1851. We are determined that the present crisis will not cause us to close.
Our theatre risks permanent closure because we have no state or local authority aid. We rely 100% on box office income and that has been denied to us for five months. We have built up some reserves but these will run out in early 2021 if we do not get some help, or we not allowed to re-open to large gatherings.
Your donations will be used to protect the future of this beautiful art deco building which is an architectural gem and delights all who perform and attend.
The present Savoy stands on the site of the Bell Inn which was built in 1672. Performances took place in the rooms here from an early date and the first permanent New Theatre under the ownership of J F Rogers opened on 20th January 1851, nearly 170 years ago. It opened as a cinema in 1910 and was extensively refurbished in 1927 and remained a cinema for most of the 20th century but closed in the 1980's and 90's. It was rescued by the present management trust in 2010, live performance reinstated, and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
In villages, towns and cities across the country, theatres are at the heart of their community. Places to come together, to be inspired and be entertained. Theatres are where our best-loved actors learn their craft and thousands of others learn valuable skills.
But we risk losing this forever.
Theatres saw their main source of income disappear in an instant when they closed in March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Six months later, we still don’t know when they will be able to reopen fully. A decision won’t be made until November at the earliest – too late for most to put on their annual pantomime, which often provides the income to support the theatre for the rest of the year.
This ongoing uncertainty puts theatres in a perilous situation. The government’s bailout is spread across all cultural organisations and certainly won’t be enough to save all of the UK’s theatres.
Every day theatres are facing the tough decision to make staff redundant and to close their doors until next year. And there is a real risk that those closures could be permanent.
Without urgent support, we could lose our nation’s amazing theatres. Please help us to make sure our theatres survive this crisis and will be there to be enjoyed by future generations.
#SaveOurTheatres
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