Expansion and Threatened Closure
In March 2005, the directors of the Northcott announced that planning permission and funding would be sought for a £3.1 million building project to expand front of house facilities and increase the capacity of the auditorium to 538 seats.
Having raised £2.1 million, the theatre was closed for refurbishment in January 2007 and reopened on 12 December 2007, near the fortieth anniversary of its first opening.
The refurbishment provided the following;
- New auditorium seating
- Additional wheelchair spaces
- A lift to all public levels, providing full disabled access
- Improved disabled facilities
- Redecorated and upgraded public areas
- Additional space for eating and drinking in the foyer
- An enhanced entrance area
- Refurbished and improved technical areas
The day before the rebranded Exeter Northcott reopened in December 2007, Arts Council England threatened withdrawal of its entire £547,000 annual grant. The loss of a third of the theatre's operating costs would result in a drastic cutback in production and job losses, if the theatre even managed to stay open. However on 1 February 2008 the Arts Council England announced a reprieve for the Exeter Northcott and its continued funding.
Following the discovery of a legacy of accounting problems inherited from the previous management, the trustees placed the theatre into administration on 25th February 2010. This decision was opposed by Arts Council England which had earlier sent in a forensic accountant to investigate the extent of the problem. These investigations had not yet been completed. Geoff Myers, chairman of the theatre's trustees, said: "We took this decision with a heavy heart but when presented with the latest financial information we had no choice but to place the theatre into administration. It is to be hoped that a way can be found to effect a rescue of the theatre." Exeter City Council and the university have agreed to help find a way to save the theatre. On 5 June 2010 it was confirmed by administrators Begbies Traynor that a new company set up by the university had purchased the theatre, the Exeter Northcot Theatre Company, and the immediate future of the theatre is now thought to be secure.
Read more about this topic: Northcott Theatre
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