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Dateline: 20th February, 2009
Derby Latest: University Takes Over The University of Derby is to buy the lease and assets of the city's troubled Playhouse. The theatre, which was dark for most of last year, will become home to the university's theatre arts programme and will also host amateur and professional productions. A university spokesman refused to say how much it was paying, merely commenting that it was a "significant sum". The university is taking a 90-year lease on the building. Derby Playhouse Limited's board said previously that the lease had been valued at between £800,000 and £1m. At least £500,000 from the sale will go to pay off the theatre's creditors. University of Derby vice-chancellor Professor John Coyne commented, "I am delighted that the university has been able to reach an agreement that can keep the Playhouse in the public domain as a valued performance space. "It is an important cultural asset in the city and whilst it has been closed there has been a definite void in Derby's cultural scene. "When it became clear that there was a real risk that the theatre might be lost, we had to act decisively to secure its future. We now want to conclude the deal quickly." The Playhouse board had struggled to find a sponsor so that it could continue to present live theatre in the city. It's not clear whether the former management team will be interested in using the theatre's stage in the future. A university spokesman said about hiring the building, "We would consider any proposals from any companies (to stage productions) but we would have to look at their business plan." The city council had tried to take control of the Playhouse but its offer of more than £300,000 for the building and assets was turned down by creditors who allowed the board an extra six months to try to find a sponsor. The council wanted to use the Playhouse for its Derby LIVE programme. Its first venture into produced theatre, William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, is coming to the end of its run at the city's Guildhall Theatre. Steve Orme
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