CAMPAIGNERS hoping for a new city centre theatre are determined to keep the issue on the agenda.
Responding to comments by city councillors casting doubt on the viability of a new theatre in last week's Echo, Chairman of Theatre for Exeter Group CIC Pete Goodwin outlines why he believes the development would be a major asset for the city.
THE Theatre for Exeter Group (TfEG) has been encouraged by the increase in letters in the Express and Echo over the last few months supporting the idea of a new theatre in the city.
In addition to these letters, the results of the newspaper's recent online poll showed that 52 per cent of those polled were in favour of a theatre as opposed to a swimming pool, etc.
However, recent articles from leading councillors have cast doubt that it will ever happen, suggesting that it's a great idea but financially impossible.
The TfEG view is different.
Both Cllr Edwards and Cllr Bull have chosen two of the most expensive regional theatres in the UK as their examples.
Councillor Edwards uses Plymouth Theatre Royal as an example of how much subsidy is required to keep a theatre running – £1.8m annually.
There are theatre managers all over the country who would welcome a fraction of that amount! The TfEG prefers to look at Theatre Royal Bath as an example; a theatre that programmes three auditoria and is hugely popular yet draws absolutely nothing from the public purse.
Councillor Bull in last week's Echo looks at the construction costs of the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre at approximately £47m (although other sources have it at £42m). Originally costed at £26m by the district council, the architects designed bespoke timbers and a curved, sloping roof adding hugely to the eventual price.
The TfEG prefer to look at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury which cost £25.6m or Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury which came in at £20.1m.
And the group is not calling for Exeter to immediately commit to a new theatre.
We've done the research; we know that a new theatre is going to cost money to build, that some theatres are costly to run and a few struggle to survive despite receiving generous public subsidy.
But we also know that some new theatres have been built at a relatively low cost to their local councils and that a lot of theatres receive little or no public subsidy whilst putting on popular and fantastic shows.
And one fact remains: every new theatre that has opened this millennium – and there are several – has brought regeneration to the locality and a huge boost to the economy of the area.
Other businesses have invested nearby and people are staying in the city centre long into the evening enabling cafes, bars, and restaurants to open and the local hotels to thrive.
So if we aren't calling immediately for a new theatre what do we want?
Above all, we want debate on the options for a new theatre from those involved in the provision and development of culture in this great city.
We applaud the city council for its commitment to the RAMM, for its support for sport and art and its continuing investment in the Northcott and other theatres and venues.
Exeter is currently ranked third in the country for its spend on culture, contributing 53p per person per week, against the national average of 16p.
That's fantastic and deserves a huge round of applause if not a standing ovation!
But what of the future? The city is expanding at a rate that nobody would have thought possible when the Northcott was opened in 1967, theatre going has increased with younger audiences coming in, theatre breaks are seen as an important attraction for tourism and, as the Echo has found out, there is strong support in Exeter for a new theatre.
The TfEG wants to look at the provision of theatre in Exeter over the next 10, 20 and 30 years and find out what the options are for a new theatre that could work with the Northcott and our other excellent venues to keep Exeter at the top of the cultural league.
Above all, we want to do this with Exeter City Council, Exeter Northcott, Exeter University and other partners who have an influence on theatre in the city.
To this end, we have a meeting with Cllr Rosie Denham scheduled which we hope will start a constructive conversation with the city council.
We have already met with an Arts Consultant to begin the process of looking at an options appraisal for the city and we have had informal meetings with the University and with the management of the Northcott.
We accept that a theatre is unlikely to be built as part of the bus station redevelopment – there may be better sites in the future anyway but let's try and plan for the future, look at some options and see what could happen.
Because if we don't we will never know, we will lose our standing in the national cultural landscape and be forever driving down the A38 to Plymouth to see shows that should be playing in Exeter.
