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Dateline: 14th March, 2006
Cash Crisis at Sevenoaks Since the Sevenoaks Playhouse opened in 1983, the theatre has relied on support from the local council. Over the past five years this support has been declining and in the last two years the grant has been cut by 22%. On 1st April the Playhouse faces a further cut of £40,000 in their annual grant. The District Council has its own difficulties, with cuts from the government and many other pressures on its purse. As a result it cannot afford to put more money into the theatre. The Playhouse has been successful in bringing in funds from the Arts Council and the Town Council, but even this extra support is not enough. So the theatre is now launching an urgent appeal to raise funds to prevent imminent closure. It needs to raise £250,000 now to ensure its future in the community. Representatives of the playhouse are asking people to help by making a donation by post, telephone or in person at the Box Office, and local businesses to consider sponsorship of the theatre as a way to increase their profile and support the theatre at the same time. They are also asking people to become Friends of the Playhouse, the more Friends they have the better chance there is of guaranteeing the theatre's future. If the Playhouse closes, local theatrical, dance, operatic companies and orchestras will no longer have a base to show and develop their popular work. There will be no professional theatre, music, dance or comedy in Sevenoaks and the town will also lose the only producing theatre in Kent. The people of Sevenoaks will have to travel much further to see popular films and art-house cinema. Sevenoaks will also lose its youth theatre and its education and outreach programme, and will not have a Christmas show or regular children's theatre. The Playhouse is asking people to act now or the venue will close. Helen Winning, Executive Director said "We really do not want the Playhouse to close, but unless there is some drastic action taken, there will be no future for the venue. I am asking for people to think about what the Playhouse means to them and donate accordingly. Thank you for all your past support and I hope you will be able to continue supporting us in the future." And she emphasises that the theatre really will close in a matter of weeks unless urgent action is taken. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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