Theatres in England need repairs and maintenance worth £4bn

The report, produced by architecture firm Purcell and Harlow Consulting, also examined the backlog of maintenance required by churches, museums, art galleries and other heritage buildings. 

Compared with English churches, for example, which were found to be in generally poor condition, theatres and performance buildings were in relatively better shape. 

However, many reported specific issues with the technical infrastructure – both backstage and front-of-house facilities and equipment – which are "needed to operate to industry standards".

A "substantial minority" of theatre sites are in "very poor condition", according to the report, which found the same for all the forms of cultural infrastructure it scrutinised. 

The RSC estimates that the total value of repair, maintenance and renewal works needed for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre over the next five years to be £25m, of which £23m is currently unfunded. 

The value of the maintenance backlog for the Royal Festival Hall at London’s Southbank Centre’s was placed at £50m, with HOME Manchester’s valued at £150,000. 

Tyne Theatre and Opera House was among the venues of which roof and windows were found to be in "poor condition", with water damage visible in the building. 

Across the board, funding was the biggest obstacle to repairs, with most venues reporting declining income from the majority of their venue streams. 

Theatres and performance venues were more likely to be in surplus than other cultural buildings – although Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre projected last year that a third of theatres would run at a deficit in 2026. 

"The findings suggest that without additional funding to support organisations with vulnerable buildings, condition problems will grow worse," the report reads.