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Dateline: 27th October, 2002 Swan Cuts Will Force Closure Worcester City Council intends to slash support to the Worcester Swan Theatre by £83,000 (from £137,000 to £54,000) next year which will result in the theatre’s closure. “Closure early next year is inevitable if the cut goes ahead” said Gerald Harris, chairman of the Board. "The theatre is thriving and has a dynamic mix of in-house productions plus nationally touring theatre, dance and stand-up comedy. Integrated throughout all of the theatre’s programme is a range of community and education initiatives – with three regular youth theatre groups, drama sessions for under 5s, educational workshops, teacher training sessions, a writer’s group, a resident amateur theatre company and a annual amateur season." Stephen Inman, leader of the City Council, admitted that the drastic cut would probably mean the end of the theatre but was still grimly determined to go ahead. The City Council has been recently thrown into turmoil due to the discovery of a £400,000 deficit in this year’s budget. The Council intends to make cuts next year of £1.1 million. “They have given no thought to the longer term,” commented Artistic Director, Jenny Stephens. “This is a short term measure that will mean the end of professionally produced work, new writing, amateur productions and all of the exciting education, youth and community initiatives that happen here." According to Stephens, the proposed cuts have come about because the council has overspent its staffing budget and needs to find cuts elsehere. "The council seems to feel the Worcester Swan is a soft target," she says. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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