UK theatre collapses into administration – ‘built 450-seat venue without permission’ | UK | News
The theater confirmed the news of the closing in a message to members this week (Image: Google)
A UK theater has closed its doors and collapsed into administration following a long-running planning row, according to reports. Titchfield Festival Theater in Fareham, Hampshire, appointed administrators on May 8 after reaching an “unviable financial situation”.
The firm behind the venue got into trouble by building a new 450-seat venue without planning permission, a fact discovered by Fareham Borough Council in May 2023. The intervening years have seen the local authority attempt to force the theater to close while the company launches retaliatory legal challenges.
According to The News, theater president Christopher Milburn sent a message to members confirming the closure, effective this week.
He said: “It is with great sadness that I have to announce that we are ceasing to trade due to our financial situation being unsustainable. This means there will be no further shows at Titchfield Festival Theater or The Barn. All rehearsals have been cancelled.”
Youth groups that regularly use the theater for rehearsals are left in limbo (Image: Getty)
He added: “I’m sorry we had to make this decision but unfortunately we had no choice.”
While the venue itself did not release a statement confirming the news, upcoming performances were marked as canceled on its website.
Among the groups affected by the decision was Titchfield Youth Theatre, which previously held weekly meetings in the area and was planning to hold a show there in the near future.
A statement from the organization said: “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the news that Titchfield Festival Theater has been forced into administration and is being closed immediately. [the theatre] We have always felt their support for nearly 20 years.
“Their closure now leaves Titchfield Youth Theatre, the other Youth Theaters that run their sessions there, and especially all our young actors, without a venue and wonderful different spaces for our weekly Saturday sessions. [the theatre] provided there is a place where they can showcase their games.”
Liberal Democrat councilor David Hamilton, leader of the opposition in the Conservative Party-led local government, described the news as a “serious blow to our community” following the closure of other arts venues, including the Ashcroft Arts Centre, which closed last year following funding cuts.
He said: “Titchfield Festival Theater has been an incredibly important part of our local cultural life for many years. It has brought people together, provided opportunities for artists and offered something truly special for audiences in Fareham and beyond. To lose it completely would be a real blow to our community.”
Mr Hamilton added that the community should do “everything possible to preserve the theater as best we can”, describing it as a “real asset” for Fareham with a legacy worth preserving.
Fareham Borough Council leader Simon Martin said the news was “obviously regrettable” but suggested it might not have been necessary if the theater had not devoted so much time and money to fighting the implementation of the planning.
He added: “We don’t know all the details yet. It’s always sad when a venue like this closes and if that’s true then of course.” [alternative venue] Fareham Live will do everything we can to assist community groups affected by this.”
The Express has contacted Titchfield Festival Theater for comment.
