Cancelled shows and a huge roof renovation have made the last 18 months “very difficult” for Harrogate Theatres but the chair says it is going into 2022 “cautiously optimistic”.
Knaresborough-born Deborah Larwood, who has been visiting the theatre for years, worked in the arts sector for over a decade before she took a seat on the board four years ago. She then became chair in December 2019.
Harrogate Theatres is a charity that hosts events at Harrogate Theatre, Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre.
Its biggest challenge during the pandemic has been generating enough income to cover costs whilst being unable to get on stage.
It has held online workshops, socially distanced theatre and launched its HT Together fundraising campaign.
Ms Larwood said initiatives like these and grants from the likes of Arts Council England have been crucial to the theatre’s survival and allowed it to plan for upcoming events.
Cinderella ends today
The biggest event for the theatre each year is its annual pantomime. As Cinderella comes to a close today, after running since November, Ms Larwood said she was pleased with its success although it is unclear how well tickets sold compared with previous years. She said:
“People’s habits have changed during the pandemic and some of our usual audience members still aren’t comfortable in the auditorium. We still had huge success in terms of ticket sales, but it was different especially with some schools choosing to cancel their trip.
“When we lost the panto in 2020 it was a significant worry because we rely so heavily on that revenue we earn.”
Some of the cast of this year’s pantomime, Cinderella. Photograph: Karl Andre
She added tickets for this year’s pantomime, Aladdin, are already selling with a number of schools also choosing to book.
Roof completion date still set for March
One of the biggest projects undertaken in the last 12 months has been the roof renovation. The project has been managed by Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the building.
Work began in May last year and with multiple setbacks due to covid and building materials it is now due to be completed by March.
Ms Larwood said workers on site were “determined” to stick to that date.
The theatre roof during works in June 2021.
The board has been trying to recruit new trustees. Last year, Ms Larwood, said multiple trustees came to the end of their tenure, which gave the opportunity to bring in new people and expertise.
She said:
“The pandemic allowed us to refocus and its exciting to hear from new people who are equally as passionate as us about the arts.”
So far the charity has added Fiona Hunt to its board but plans to speak to more potential new trustees after panto season.
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‘Necessary evil’ to make people redundant
During the pandemic the theatre made staff redundant in an attempt to remain open. Ms Larwood said it was a “necessary evil”.
Long-term closures in 2020 and 2021 meant a big loss in revenue. Ms Larwood said despite the grants, cuts had to be made.
However, the charity hopes to start recruiting again this year. She said:
“We had terrible levels of redundancies but we had to make sure we made it through the other side. Recruitment will begin in earnest, but it’s all about striking a balance. We need people but we live in a time of rapid change and hiring too quickly is a big investment to lose.
“Our core team has been amazing throughout, doing the job of a team normally two or three times its size. It’s now time for us to bring in new people as we move into a busy year.”
