The Stage

Rose of Kingston redundancy threat lifted as loan approved

Published Tuesday 5 July 2005 at 14:20 by Alistair Smith

Staff at Peter Hall’s Rose of Kingston theatre have been saved from the threat of redundancy after Conservative opposition within the borough council agreed to withdraw its demands to delay a £3 million rescue package that had been promised to the venue.

The loan was approved by the council’s executive last month in the hope that it would help put the project back on schedule to open in September 2006. However, the Conservatives had originally demanded that the decision was subject to a more vigorous investigation before money was handed over. They had also claimed that this could not be done until later this month. With staff contracts expiring on July 5, this delay would have meant redundancies at the south west London venue.

A spokesperson for the council explained: “The administration had said that they would put forward £3 million as a rescue package. The executive agreed, allocated the money and asked the report to go to the overview panel. In the meantime, the Conservative opposition said that it needed more time to consider the funding option. But the council has insisted that it was important that all the pieces are in place now and building needed to commence.

“Later, at the overview meeting, the panel did, in fact, sanction the money and instead agreed to review the allocation retrospectively so that theatre can get the money now. There was a lot of political to-ing and fro-ing.”

Hall’s plan to create a modern interpretation of the Shakespearean Rose Theatre in Kingston has been fraught with difficulties. In addition to the recent dispute over allocation of public cash to the project, earlier this year an independent report from the Audit Commission found that funds for the project were lacking and the scheme was running behind schedule.

When completed, the Rose will host its own company, with Hall currently programming work for its inaugural season. Together with Kingston University, the theatre will also launch a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Classical Acting, which will become the first course of its kind in the UK, where students, once qualified, can gain direct entry into a professional acting company.

Hall added: “The Royal Borough of Kingston has taken an innovative and proactive approach to the theatre’s development. In addition to establishing a property company to attract substantial investment, the council is advancing funds against future fundraising which will make it possible to complete the fit-out and prepare Rose of Kingston for business. I am delighted that the council has now ratified its plans to support this final phase of development. Our goal is in sight and my team and I can’t wait to get started.”