'Hands off Oldham!' Hundreds turn out to support Coliseum

Date published: 22 February 2023

Over 400 supporters of the Oldham Coliseum theatre have attended a rowdy meeting at the Fairbottom Street site to express their anger at the loss of £1.8m of Arts Council funding.

The Coliseum announced last week that the curtain was to come down in March after over 130 years, describing the funding situation as “not sustainable for the running of a full-time theatre”.

Protesters, chanting “Hands off Oldham” and holding placards emblazoned with “Save Oldham Coliseum” cheered speakers on the stage.

Actor Maxine Peake spoke at the event, organised by the performers’ union Equity.  She described the theatre as a “vital, vibrant institution” which inspired her to follow a career in acting.

She accused the Government of “further and further dividing our communities” and theatres have become de facto community centres.

She continued: “This isn’t good enough. Because Oldham will go and then what’s next? What’s going to happen to the north-west? Art should not be for the elite - it should be for everyone. We’ve got to save it.”

Attendees accused Oldham Council and Arts Council England (ACE) of a “pincer movement” to divert funds from the Coliseum to a new £24m theatre space being proposed by the Council in the town centre.

One protester accused Council chiefs of “half-hearted” support for the theatre and “years” of broken promises.   “Last week, we had Amanda Chadderton on the steps of the Coliseum looking sad.  But has any action been taken? No.”

Arts Council England were “empty-chaired” at the meeting, after they were unable to attend. A spokesperson for ACE told the Chronicle they were unable to find a suitable representative for the Equity meeting, but had offered an alternative date.

Chris Lawson, Oldham Coliseum Chief Executive, said he was now having conversations with staff about the likelihood of redundancy.

“We’re finding ourselves in a consultation period of 30 days for 70 jobs. That’s 70 jobs in Oldham; that’s 70 jobs in the arts; that’s 70 times I’m sitting one-to-one with staff members that I work with every day to explain to them what’s happening.”

He added that his own position was also likely to disappear.

Attendees signed a petition to ACE, calling on the organisation to reverse their funding decision, announced in November last year.

Earlier this week, Oldham Council announced plans for a new theatre in the town centre, after the Arts Council ringfenced £1.8m for arts and culture in Oldham.

Cllr Amanda Chadderton, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “After the really sad news from the Coliseum in recent weeks, it's great to see such a positive step forward for the future of arts and culture here in Oldham.”

The new theatre – which is expected to be called “Oldham Coliseum” - is to built in the Old Post Office and former Quaker Meeting House.

The new site will include a smaller 300 to 350-seat auditorium, as well as a 120-seat studio, together with enhanced back-stage facilities, additional education, event and rehearsal spaces, and front-of house facilities including bar and café areas.

Equity North-West Regional Officer, Paul Liversey, said that whilst welcome, the plans will create a “vacuum of arts access in Oldham.”

“While Oldham Council’s recommitment to building a new theatre is positive news, it still does not address the immediate problems that come with the Coliseum’s closure on 1st April. These include the redundancies faced by Equity members who work there, alongside the fact that until the opening of the new venue – scheduled for 2026, so at least three years from now – there will be no theatre in the borough.”

Arts Council England have defended the funding decision on the Coliseum, and ringfenced the funding to support art and culture elsewhere in the town.

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