Back in December 2007 Exeter's Northcott Theatre faced the nightmare threat of closure when it lost substantial funding, following a £2.1 million redevelopment project.
Now, after going into administration and being twice saved, the theatre's future is secure but it still needs the support of the public, as executive director Kate Tyrrell told Adam Walmesley.
ON a hill overlooking the city in the heart of the University of Exeter's Streatham Campus lays a gem of regional theatre in the South West.
Exeter's Northcott Theatre opened in 1967, and has been home to high-quality professional and amateur theatre for almost 50 years.
"We believe passionately that it's really important for the lives of everyday people to have the opportunity to watch theatre and take part." said executive director Kate Tyrrell.
The mother-of-two, who moved to Devon in 2008, is honest about the huge challenges faced and proud of what has been achieved over the past six years.
"I arrived here with six months to get the funding back. With all the building work going on around us, with the economic climate, and the need to find new audiences – it's been a bumpy journey," she said.
"But we have an amazing team of staff who are incredibly talented, our audiences are so enthusiastic, and touring companies regularly say we are one of their favourite venues."
The Northcott has a strong history of making its own theatre from its opening production of The Merchant of Venice to the current collaborative show The Day We Played Brazil.
Mrs Tyrrell said: "It's people from regional theatres like the Northcott who enable this country to do amazing productions, like the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. We pride ourselves on the notion that 'anybody can do it'."
The Northcott has nurtured the talent of some of the country's most distinguished actors and directors including John Nettles, Lesley Joseph, Robert Lindsay and Nicholas Hytner.
Mrs Tyrrell said: "This is a place where people start their careers before moving on to bigger things. That's something we're proud of."
The 460-seat venue features some of the best work by emerging and established local, national and international artists.
Its programme includes touring theatre, dance, music, opera, comedy, family shows and much more.
Mrs Tyrrell said: "We opened a brilliant production earlier this year called Going Dark which was performed in almost total darkness. It was very experimental, but it sold out every night."
With 243 shows on offer this year and audience numbers up to more than 67,000 in the past year, it is fair to say the theatre is "thriving".
Over the past decade the Northcott's road has been far from smooth, with a series of troubles that put it firmly under the public spotlight.
In January 2007 it began a £2.1m project to expand front of house facilities and increase the capacity of the auditorium.
But the day before the revamped theatre lifted its curtain on December 12, Arts Council England dropped a bombshell by threatening to withdraw all of its £547,000 annual grant.
Rather than celebrating the success of the upgrade, the theatre ironically found itself facing the prospect of closure.
After ACE granted a funding reprieve in February 2008, the theatre's trustees placed it into administration barely two years later, due to a "legacy of financial problems".
It was granted a second lifeline in the form of a £100,000 cash injection from the Arts Council – enabling it to stay open that spring, while a strategy was put together to secure its longer-term future.
Ms Tyrrell said: "It's been a time full of uncertainty.
"But we're not the only theatre company that's had an uncomfortable few years."
She pointed to the difficulty of operating as the university underwent a massive transformation project including the construction of the £48m Forum building between 2010 and 2012.
"Now we look over this wonderful campus of a world-class university.
"But we had a few years of being in the middle of a building site and people were not sure where they could park. All of that was challenging."
The organisation was forced to restructure itself in a bid to save money, resulting in it cutting the number of permanent staff from 58 to just 13.
"It's a really small team for a theatre of this scale. We punch massively above our weight," said Mrs Tyrrell.
The Northcott was given another vote of confidence on July 1 when it was allocated £125,000 of ACE funding for the next three years.
Its theatre company was also one of three arts organisations in Exeter to join the National portfolio for the first time – alongside the Bike Shed Theatre and Kaleider.
Ms Tyrrell said: "It's brilliant to be acknowledged and recognised by the Arts Council.
"Being part of the portfolio is a benchmark that puts us alongside the likes of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
"We're seen to be a nationally significant arts organisation."
But behind this 'positive' news lies the reality that the theatre's funding has been on a downward trend.
Four years ago it was receiving around half a million pounds of funding – representing 30 per cent of its turnover.
Since 2012 it has been given just a quarter of that figure – making up just nine per cent of its turnover.
The money is still vital for the Northcott to continue operating and to "take risks" as it looks to meet the demands of a growing and changing city.
Ms Tyrrell said: "With the big mix of people in Exeter, we have had to change our programme to find new audiences. Sometimes things we do work and sometimes they don't."
Due to the theatre's location in the midst of a bustling campus, its relationship with the university is vital.
Mrs Tyrrell said: "Many young people want to come to a university in a city where there is a great artistic provision.
"Previously the university and the theatre didn't recognise the benefits of each other.
"Now it's much better as the university embraces arts and culture more than ever."
Despite the theatre's efforts to reach the whole city and beyond, some remain convinced of a need for a £30m city centre theatre.
The Northcott has publicly voiced its support for the plan, but suggested it would be difficult to turn the idea into reality.
Mrs Tyrrell said: "It would be fabulous for Exeter to have a theatre in the city centre. But there is a real worry about where the capital money to build it would come from and how it would be sustainable."
Even though the theatre receives money from a number of public bodies, naturally it still relies on people buying tickets and becoming members.
Mrs Tyrrell said: "The theatre community is burgeoning in the city, but survival is still a challenge.
"Regional theatre is very vulnerable."
Despite what's happened in the past and the challenges of the future, Mrs Tyrrell manages to retain her love for the theatre.
She said: "What keeps me going is the buzz of happy audiences, happy artists, and knowing that what you're doing is making a difference."
