Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds ‘will have to find savings’ if Suffolk County Council £100,000 arts funding cut goes ahead

A Bury St Edmunds theatre’s programme could be streamlined if Suffolk County Council arts funding cuts go ahead.

The Theatre Royal, in Westgate Street, stands to lose £100,00 per year as the county council tries to make £64.7 million in savings.

This week, the theatre said while the county council funding was earmarked for its community engagement projects, its loss would force bosses to scrutinise the organisation ‘across the board’ to see where savings could be made.

It fears it could have to streamline its original in-house productions and other programming.

Owen Calvert-Lyons, the theatre’s artistic director, said: “£100,000 is a lot of money for us. We will have to look across the whole organisation and look at where we can make savings.

“We subsidise our in-house productions as we know how important they are not only to audiences but to the arts economy of this area. They provide employment. But if we are in the position where we have to operate an entirely commercial model we won’t be making those productions, we won’t be able to do things like last year’s subsidised production of The Wizard of Oz.”

At the same time, the loss of funding could impact the theatre’s Arts Council national portfolio organisation status, which was reinstated just last year.

Owen said the Arts Council was careful where it spent its budget and traditionally invested where it could see evidence of local support and investment.

“There is not a direct correlation, we won’t definitely lose the Arts Council funding, but it is a concern,” said Owen. “Ironically Suffolk County Council played a big role in us getting the Arts Council funding and helped us to achieve that.”

Suffolk County Council is proposing saving £500,000 by stopping core funding to art and museum sector organisations across the county.

The theatre said the county council funding was used for its community engagement programme: Delivering after-school drama clubs, school literacy projects and providing spaces for the elderly to stay warm – all services which were once the work of local authorities.

“Losing that funding might mean we have to do much less of it (community engagement),” said Owen. “We are very passionate about supporting our community and working with those who are most vulnerable, but if we don’t have that money there we will have to find savings.

“It makes me really sad. We have an extraordinarily important role in our community and provide life-changing opportunities to children and adults. The thought of not being able to that makes me really sad.”

Owen said people who engaged with theatre were known to engage in more physical activity and have improved wellbeing.

“The benefit of the theatre to the community is not always obvious. If you remove it there is a danger people are more likely to call on statutory services such as the NHS.

“I see our service as being one that prevents people using those other services and that makes it very short-sighted thinking to cut our funding,” he added.

Meanwhile, world famous actress and Theatre Royal life patron Dame Judi Dench has added her voice to a growing number against the funding cuts.

Dame Judi said she was ‘deeply shocked’ the theatre could have its funding stopped and added: “The removal of this support is heart-breaking. Regional theatre is the foundation of British theatre and its place in our lives must be protected.”