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Blackpool?Dateline: 4th December, 2006The suggestion that the Theatre Museum (see our news story) might be relocated to Blackpool has a superifical attractiveness. At least the collection would be in one place and more accessible than it would be if it vanishes into the depths of West Kensington. The collection would, indeed, expand, with the archives which are currently held in Blackpool. But if theatre lovers are unlikely to make the trip out to West Ken to visit the Museum, how much less likely are they to head a few hundreds of miles north west to Blackpool? A Blackpool councillor cites the fact that the North West has a great theatre tradition and he mentions the Manchester Royal Exchange and the Liverpool Everyman, but most parts of the UK could put up a similar argument. It might have more force if it was proposed to site the Museum in Manchester which, with all due respect to Birmingham, can probably be regarded as England's second theatre city, but Blackpool, whilst it can with justice claim to be one of the UK's major centres of Variety, simply is not a theatre city. The right place for the Theatre Museum is the West End. The current building in Covent Garden is far from ideal, agreed, but the location is spot on. The problem is funding. There must surely be a compelling argument for some form of government assistance here. We are not talking huge sums in terms of government spending or GDP - indeed, it is a tiny amount in comparison to what is being and will be spent on the 2012 Olympics. Why not use some of that money to do the necessary work? Marketed properly, the Museum could be a big tourist attraction. West End theatre is widely regarded throughout the world as the best and here is a wonderful archive of its history which could well attract a proportion of those who come to the capital for the Olympics, as well as the tourists who come every year. That phrase "marketed properly" is important, for one of the reasons the Theatre Museum has not attracted the number of visitors one might expect is that it is not well enough known. How many of the thousands of tourists who flock to West End theatres throughout the year even know if its existence? Both the V&G in general and the Theatre Museum in particular must accept some responsibility for its very low profile. Elsewhere on the site this week we report on the Guardians of the Theatre Museum's appeal for help in the form of signatures and support - please support them by visiting the website and becoming a Guardian - but more is needed. The whole theatre community needs to unite here. What is needed is
Blackpool, no: Covent Garden, yes!
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