Circus comes to Wrexham’s rescue

Published Monday 10 May 2004 at 14:40 by Sally Bramley

Proposals for a theatre in Wrexham could be resurrected after circus family the Fossetts offered the local council use of their 3,000-seat tent, previously a touring home to the Royal Ballet.

Brothers Brian and Robert Fossett got in touch with Wrexham Borough and District Council after reading an article in The Stage about members shelving plans for a 400-seat venue after they failed to find a suitable bid for its construction. Insiders at the local authority had claimed the plans had met with a “knocking campaign” and the proposals had been turned into a contentious election issue.

The Theatrama can seat between 1,200 and 3,000 people and has heating and air conditioning as well as proscenium arch 32ft high and 60ft wide. It toured with the Royal Ballet for 17 years but has been in storage for the past ten.

Wendy Lane, partner of Brian Fossett, said: “The Theatrama is only the only one ever built and is about 30 years old. It went into retirement but there have been discussions lately about getting it out on the road again. Those just seemed to tie in with article and so we contacted Wrexham to ask if they might be interested.

“It is ideal because the council can test the water and see whether or not a theatre is white elephant for Wrexham, without committing to a permanent structure. It’s been quite an integral part of our lives, so we would love to see it in use again.”

The mobile theatre needs a 400ft by 400ft space to be erected and can be ready open within a week. Other facilities include dressing rooms, green rooms, bars and restaurants, a VIP and press area.

Alan Watkin, Wrexham Council’s chief leisure, libraries and culture officer said: “At the moment we are looking to conduct a review of our Performing Arts Strategy and we therefore invited Mr Fossett to submit details of his proposals. Councillors sitting on our Theatre Task and Finish Group will take an initial look at these proposals at their meeting on 17 May.”