Sad news: Exeter's Bike Shed Theatre closing

[mkmswain]

Posted: 1/23/18 at 5:29am

The theatre is closing its doors in March: https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Exeters-Bike-Shed-Theatre-Set-To-Close-20180123

Do you often go to your local theatre? If so, what difference does it make to your community having a regional venue?

And would you like to see the Government or other bodies do more to support local theatres?

[nataliealana]

Posted: 1/23/18 at 5:49am

Desperately sad. With the programme the Bike Shed had it reminds me very much of the Tron Theatre in Glasgow.

It's so important for people to be able to see affordable and off-the-wall productions in their local area. While the likes of ATG are great for touring big musicals and plays, the ticket prices aren't necessarily affordable for students and those in low paid jobs. With venues like the Bike Shed, the work performed there is far more accessible and can be very inspirational to those in the area. It's ignorant to assume that everybody can just pop to London to see fringe theatre, or up to Edinburgh in August.

And yes, I think the Government in England should be doing more. We're lucky here with Creative Scotland and arts funding that I think we get a slightly better deal. But in venues like the Bike Shed, its not just the productions that will suffer by not having a space to tour, people can't go there to workshop ideas, arts admin jobs will be even more scarce and bar staff will be out of jobs. Often in venues like this its the bar profits that subsidise the theatre.