Paul Fleming, Equity general secretary, stands behind a podium with a purple banner reading 'save Oldham Coliseum'. He's a tall white man in a shirt & tie with a grey overcoat, and he's gesturing as he addresses the media outside the Arts Council offices on Lever Street.

On Thursday 9 March, Equity met with the Arts Council for talks to save the Oldham Coliseum and the acting jobs it provides. Following this, the actors' union held a press conference outside the Arts Council offices on Lever Street.

It began to snow as press gathered outside Arts Council England’s Manchester base, waiting for an update on the fate of Oldham Coliseum, which has announced it will close at the end of the month following a £1.845 million cut in funding from the Arts Council. The funds, enough to support the theatre for three years, have instead been offered to Oldham Council. The council haven’t yet revealed what they propose spending the money on, but we do know that it isn’t the Coliseum Theatre.

We were left waiting for a while in the cold as talks continued past the scheduled time, and predictably no solution has yet been found. It’s back to the discussion table, with just over a fortnight left before the Coliseum closes its doors.


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Video: Katy Preen

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  • Kacy Preen

    Kacy is the Production Team member for Ethics, Governance and Compliance, and is a member of the Trans Journalists Association. They like to report on politics, environment and data stories. Katy has lived in Manchester since 2001.

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