New Theatre Royal is facing the biggest challenge in its 160 year history.
Situated in the heart of Portsmouth, New Theatre Royal is the cultural champion of the UK’s only island city and a registered charity. It encourages creativity and curiosity and plays a vital role in the community.
We need your help.
Closing our doors due to COVID-19 has had a devastating impact; we rely on ticket sales for the majority of our income. Whilst we have been working tirelessly to ensure the survival of New Theatre Royal, without immediate urgent funding, our future is under threat.
We believe that we are going to need theatres more than ever before to bring us back together as we recover from COVID-19. We are passionate about our community and inspiring our audiences through live performance and participation and really want to be here for you.
Your donation will help to:
- Secure the existence of New Theatre Royal and the delivery of uplifting and joyous live performances for everyone
- Retain as many of our experienced and passionate staff members as possible
- Maintain our stunning historic building which stands in the heart of the city
- Create and progress a thriving future for New Theatre Royal
If you’re missing great nights out at our comedy or music gigs, have enjoyed ballet and theatre performances or perhaps plan to bring your family to the Pantomime when doors can be safely reopened once again, please help.
With your support, New Theatre Royal will remain in the heart of Portsmouth for many more years to come.
“New Theatre Royal is a historic gem that plays a vital role in our city; it’s loss is unimaginable. We are going to need theatres more than ever as we recover from COVID-19 to inspire and reconnect us and we must act now to keep the doors of New Theatre Royal open for everyone.”
- Lord Mayor of Portsmouth
Rewards
Choose from some great rewards in return for your donation! Our rewards include:
A4 prints of New Theatre Royal by local artist Botley Cat (two designs available)
100 limited edition prints celebrating New Theatre Royal in the heart of Portsmouth
Five original Portsmouth Costumiers gowns (different designs available upon choosing this reward)
Two one-off oil paintings kindly donated by local artist Stephen Prangnell.
About Save Our Theatres
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
Please donate, share this page widely and do what you can to help us to make sure our theatre survives this crisis.