Save Oldham Coliseum

Oldham's Coliseum theatre is like no other. But now its going dark.

Will you write to the North Area board of Arts Council England and ask them to fix things before its too late?

It's one of England's oldest running theatres, and a place that still produces local culture by, with and for its community.

But Arts Council England's 100% defunding of the theatre means performers and creative workers depending on contracts with Oldham this year have been left in limbo.

Will you write to Arts Council England’s North Area board members today to demand they rethink this decision?

Professionally made, professionally paid work in Northern towns is harder and harder to come by as the cost of living crisis bites.

Which is why the Art's Council's decision to cut 100% of Oldham's public funding is so wrong.

We're asking Arts Council England’s North area board members to bring this issue to their next Council meeting, and challenge Arts Council management to find a funding solution that keeps Oldham's lights on, and creative workers properly paid.

Send a message to these board members today using our email template, and make sure they know Equity won't let this go without a fight.

Edit the template to make it personal to you, but make sure to include the demand that they raise this at the next board meeting, and include the specific questions we've put in the template!

Javaad Alipoor - North Area Council Member

Syima Aslam - North Area Council Member

Patrick Chapman - North Area Council Member

Cllr Janet Emsley - North Area Council Member

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe - North Area Council Member

Cllr Luthfur Rahman - North Area Council Member

Graeme Thompson - North Area Council Member

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Subject

Oldham Coliseum - please review this decision at your next Arts Council North Area meeting I am writing to you as a creative worker who knows how special Oldham Coliseum is to our community.
Arts Council England's NPO funding decisions have let an important regional producing theatre go dark, and it is facing possible closure. This has left many creative workers who were depending on Coliseum contracts this season in limbo. Now more than ever creatives need all the work they can get to survive the cost of living crisis. The work the Coliseum generates for local creatives and practicioners is so important, and cannot be replaced like-for-like by new receiving institutions such as the Factory in Manchester. Cutting funding in this way without proper consideration of a workforce transition plan means that our members, already facing a cost of living crisis, now face losing a vital source of income.
The fate of so many creative workers should not rest just on the outcome of a badly put together NPO application. The Arts Council's statement that it "will continue to work together with the theatre and Oldham Council" does not address the immediate employment concerns that the many creative workers left in limbo will have. Will there be work this season? Will it continue to be a producing theatre? What will happen to permanent employees and contracted creative workers?
That is why I am asking you to raise this issue at Arts Council England's next meeting of the North Area Council. I respectfully ask if you could request the funding situation at the Oldham Coliseum be added as an agenda item to the next North Area Council meeting, and I ask you to raise the following points during that agenda item: 
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<li>What consideration have the Arts Council given to the impact of its funding decision on the permanent staff and contracted workers at Oldham Coliseum for its 2023 season?</li>
<li>What discussions have the Arts Council had with Oldham Council to ensure that any future theatre in Oldham remains a producing theatre?</li>
<li>Will the Arts Council provide intermediate, urgent funding to the existing Coliseum to keep creative workers in work and the theatre from going dark?</li>
<li>Will the Area Director for the North write to the Chief Executive and Chair of Arts Council England, with the North Area council members in copy, to convey the concerns of the North Area Council that the NPO funding decisions have led to a situation where vital income for creative workers and the creative economy of Oldham has been put at risk, and ask that they review how they can provide further immediate funding whilst a longer term solution is reached?</li>
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 I would really appreciate it if you could let me know what happens at the next North Area Council meeting.

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