St George's Theatre Opening Delayed
Hopes that St George’s Theatre would be able to open for public performances in the near future have been dashed after an inspection found that the requirements of new fire regulations could not be met in the short term.
The theatre closed before Christmas because of structural problems. The council decided to carry out some urgent structural and electrical work to ensure that the building remained safe ahead of full refurbishment works that are planned for the future.
The structural and electrical work has been successfully completed on time, and it was hoped that this would be enough to allow the theatre to re-open for a few months. Unfortunately, further problems have now arisen with the fire precautions, which have meant that it is not possible to re-open after all.
“Sadly, we have come to the conclusion that it would not be possible to carry out all of the work necessary to re-open in the short term.” said Stephen Earl, Principal Conservation Officer. “Bids for grant aid from various agencies including the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage are under preparation to enable us to carry out the major refurbishment work that is planned for the future.”
“The urgent repair work has been successfully completed. However, with a historic building such as St. Georges, we needed to carry out a detailed risk assessment to ensure the theatre was safe for public performances in all respects. This assessment uncovered these further problems that would need to be dealt with before audiences could be allowed in once more.”
“We understand how disappointing this is, especially for the St George’s Theatre Trust who had hoped to get productions back on stage there for the summer season. However, everyone accepts that the safety of the audience, the performers and the stage crew is paramount.”
“In the meantime we will do what we can to help St George’s Theatre Trust find alternative venues for their productions.”
Chairman of Trustees, David McDermott remains positive about the future of the theatre, “Although we as a board are bitterly disappointed at this news we are still very optimistic that in the not too distant future the theatre will be reopened having been refurbished. Other venues are actively being sought suitable for those shows already booked and with the support of the Borough the shows will go on.”
For further information contact Head of Architectural Services David Frowde on 01493 846373 or Principal Conservation Officer Stephen Earl on 01493 846419