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14
Oct
Harrogate Theatre boss appeals for help overcoming ‘post-pandemic wobble’
Harrogate Theatre chief executive David Bown appealed to businesses for support last night (October 13) to help it overcome a “post-pandemic wobble”.
The Victorian theatre on Oxford Street is running a campaign to raise £125,000 this year, which is its 125th anniversary.
Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce held at the theatre, Mr Bown outlined recent financial problems — and urged people not to underestimate the theatre’s wider economic impact on the town.
After covid lockdowns, the theatre lost its status as an Arts Council England national portfolio organisation in April 2023, which reduced funding by about £140,000 a year.
Mr Bown said there was “precious little public funding compared to 25 years ago” and that the venue had also experienced a “tricky transition” from Harrogate Borough Council to North Yorkshire Council in 2023.
The theatre is run by a charity called Harrogate (White Rose) Theatre Trust Ltd but the building is council-owned.
Mr Bown said the venue was “very difficult to maintain” as fit-for-purpose and did not enjoy the same level of council support since Harrogate Borough Council’s abolition.
The theatre suffered another financial blow in January last year when North Yorkshire Council announced it would take over programming for the Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre from the theatre.
The theatre said in a statement at the time it was “working with its board of directors and other funding partners to explore alternative financial models”.
Mr Bown told the chamber meeting that despite all this, the theatre still “brings in a huge amount of people from all over the country”.
He added:
On Saturday, we had Freddie Flintoff at the convention centre, Ardal O’Hanlon here at the theatre and upstairs in the studio we had a quite anarchic theatre show called Outlawed.
They all sold out so that’s over 2,500 people in the town on Saturday night, in the bars, restaurants, shops and hotels, and parking because of what we do.
It’s estimated that our economic impact according to the arts council for the town is well over £20 million a year. So don’t underestimate the value of theatre and culture, it has a large part to play in the buoyancy of the town.
Details of the theatre's fundraising appeal are available here.
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