God, I hate writing these kinds of stories. Another cultural venue biting the dust while the suits upstairs talk about "essential frontline services" and "financial restructuring." The Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock is shutting down in just a few days, and I can't help but feel a bit gutted about it.
I visited that place back in 2019 for a community production of Grease. My nephew was playing Teen Angel – bless him, he forgot half his lines but somehow pulled it off with charm. The audience loved him anyway.
When the music stops...
The iconic Staffordshire venue will host its final performance on April 29th. After that, the curtains close for good – at least for now.
Richard Kay, who manages the place, didn't mince words when I spoke with him yesterday. "It's emotional," he told me, his voice noticeably strained. "In many cases and especially with my staff here, they're here for teh environment and the joy rather than the money."
That hit home. I've got a mate who worked at our local theatre for years on practically minimum wage because she loved being part of something that brought people together.
So what the hell happened?
Cannock Chase District Council dropped the axe as part of measures to protect what they're calling "essential frontline services." Translation: arts and culture get sacrificed first when budgets tighten.
The theatre has been at the heart of Cannock for years, hosting everything from amateur dramatics to touring bands and comedy nights. I remember when my daughter's dance school performed there in 2018 – proud parent moment watching her attempt (and mostly fail at) tap dancing. She was 7. Poor thing looked like a newborn giraffe trying to walk on ice.
A £7,000 lifeline... enough?
There's a glimmer of hope, though.
The Cannock Theatre Trust is getting £7K from a grant program that's distributed about £75,000 between 10 at-risk venues. It's something, I guess, but hardly seems enough to save an entire theatre.
Joshua McTaggart from Theatres Trust sounds optimistic: "We are thrilled to support 10 of these fantastic theatres with essential strategic projects that will lay the foundations for their revival."
Listen. I've heard this kind of talk before. Back in 2016, our local arts center got a "foundation-laying grant" too. It's now a Wetherspoons.
Construction and confidence
The treasurer is apparently "very confident" that the theatre will reopen next year, with shows potentially returning by summer or autumn of 2026.
That's a long wait for the staff who'll be out of work. I texted an old colleague who used to work in theatre administration about this situation. His response: "Typical. They'll call it a 'temporary closure' then quietly sell the building to developers in 18 months."
Maybe I'm being cynical. Hope not.
The entertainment apocalypse continues
This isn't happening in isolation. The entire entertainment industry feels like it's trapped in some kind of slow-motion car crash.
Cinemas are getting hammered too. Cineworld has been closing venues faster than I can keep track of, after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US last year. Their shares dropped almost 99% in five years leading up to 2023. Ouch.
The UK arm went into administration last July, adn they got booted off the London Stock Exchange a day later.
I spent $40 taking my kids to see the latest superhero thing last month. Two tickets, some popcorn and drinks – forty quid! No wonder people are staying home with Netflix.
The human cost
Behind all these business decisions and restructuring plans are real people losing their jobs.
Richard Kay mentioned how passionate his staff are. Those are the folks who'll be filling out job applications next week while executives somewhere are looking at spreadsheets and nodding solemnly about "tough but necessary decisions."
I've seen three local cultural spots close in my town over the past decade. Each time we're promised something bigger and better will replace them.
We got a vape shop, another Costa, and an empty building that occasionally hosts a pop-up Halloween store.
Progress, apparently.
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