The Stage

Royal Spa Centre given two years to turn itself around

Published Tuesday 9 February 2010 at 16:25 by Natalie Woolman

Warwickshire venue the Royal Spa Centre has been given a two-year reprieve to transform itself after the local council considered shutting it down.

Warwick District Council, which owns the Leamington Spa theatre, has given its new general manager a two-year window with a brief to improve its fortunes.

Antony Flint, who has a background in advertising and was previously the director of external affairs at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, came into post in January on a two-year fixed term contract.

The centre was subsidised to the tune of £557,508 in 2008/9 by the council, which now has to make approximately £1.6 million of savings overall over the next three years according to a report it published at the end of last year.

The report, which was based on the findings of a council committee set up in 2008 to investigate the theatre’s subsidy level, laid out several options and recommended that the council investigate re-developing the theatre for alternative use with a commercial partner.

However, with the appointment of the new general manager, this recommendation was not taken up by the full council and it decided to give the theatre another chance.

Flint said: “The point is the theatre here needs some surgery, it needs some help and some love and attention. What it needs is to become a better business and to work more efficiently, which will reduce the amount of subsidy it relies upon from the council.

“What we also need to do, equally as importantly, is to broaden the range of work that it puts on the stages here and engage with more people.”

Flint is due to meet council representatives next month to discuss the theatre’s subsidy level.

In the meantime, his plans include closing the centre for several weeks over the summer to make some cosmetic changes, as part of its wider bid to improve the venue and attract new audiences. The team will also be assessing the viability of the building for long-term future use.

Flint explained his aims for his tenure as general manager: “I really need to secure a future for theatre in the town and the district. I am not necessarily wedded to this building as it stands, but I am committed to ensuring that there is a future for theatre and cultural provision within the town.”