Derby Playhouse closure condemned

Four weeks before Christmas 60 staff at Derby Playhouse have been told the theatre is in administration and they no longer have jobs.

Staff were shocked to discover that Derby City Council had refused to advance a funding grant due in January and, as a consequence, the theatre has been forced into administration just one day after the opening night of Treasure Island, its Christmas show.

BECTU condemns the closure of the Playhouse and Derby City Council's actions. Willy Donaghy, Supervisory Official, said: “The people of Derby deserve a public enquiry into the closure of a valuable and popular local asset of national renown. We demand to know why the council refused to advance funding and forced the theatre to close. In particular their motives must be established while speculation surrounds the relationship between the owners of the shopping centre and local authority representatives.”

The theatre is located in the middle of Westfield Shopping Centre, which has been undergoing a three-year £350m refurbishment programme. Stephen Edwards, the joint artistic director at the Playhouse, blamed the development for £330,000 worth loss of income. "No provision was set aside in the 106 planning consent to underwrite the theatre and we were told that if we did not trade on we would lose the DCC grant.”

Sixty staff now face Christmas on the dole and 22,000 ticket holders will now become creditors at what should be the theatre’s busiest time of year.

Donaghy added that BECTU is taking legal advice to determine if any party had legal liability for initiating actions that needlessly led to the sacking of union members.