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Dateline: 24th March, 2011
Derby Theatre "at Risk" Derby's main theatre faces an uncertain future because Arts Council England has turned down a funding application, according to an ACE East Midlands regional council member. The city council decided the application should be submitted by the University of Derby, which took over Derby Theatre in 2009, rather than the council's entertainments arm Derby LIVE. But according to city councillor Alan Graves, the Arts Council has turned down the university's bid for £726,000 "on quite a few grounds" as there were "issues" with the application. "The real risk now," he said, "is that the theatre will close." The decision by the East Midlands region has to be ratified by the Arts Council nationally. After Councillor Graves leaked the decision, the Arts Council asked him to reconsider his position. He's now resigned. Councillor Graves said the city council would be unable to find the £726,000 which the university had bid for. He felt the city council "had a lot to answer for" because it hadn't put in its own application. The authority has refused to say why it preferred the university to apply for funding. The decision attracted criticism, especially from former Derby playwright Lucy Gannon. She called the action "perverse" and pointed out that ACE held Derby LIVE in high regard whereas the university bid was from "inexperienced and untested educationalists". In a statement Professor John Coyne, the university's vice-chancellor, said, "Derby Theatre has submitted a very strong and compelling bid to Arts Council England, with the full support of Derby city council. "We are confident that the bid represents an excellent opportunity to create new theatre works and is a great cultural offer for Derby. "We know there has been no official public announcement on the Derby Theatre bid by Arts Council England. The university can make no comment until that decision is announced." Up to 18 staff were expected to transfer from Derby LIVE to the university if the funding application got the go-ahead. Derby LIVE and the university reopened Derby's old Playhouse in November 2009 after it had been dark for almost two years. The previous management, Derby Playhouse Ltd, had gone into administration .The university signed a 99-year lease on the Playhouse building. Successes at Derby LIVE have included attracting Derbyshire actor Robert Lindsay to the city in Onassis before its transfer to the West End and securing the regional premiere of The Mountaintop which has just opened at the city's Guildhall Theatre. Peter Ireson, director of Derby LIVE, picked up the TMA manager of the year award in 2010. In an interview he said Derby LIVE was "more resilient than many other arts organisations" to survive any cuts. "We have such a strong business model and we have such a strong partnership with the university that we'll get through it," he said. Steve Orme
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