Sponsor a seat for West End restoration drama

Any public funding should be considered on a theatre-by-theatre basis and venue owners would have to justify the investment. These are among the conclusions of a report compiled for members of a London Assembly committee.

Many of London's 40 commercial theatres need major refurbishment. The majority are listed buildings with outdated facilities. But with only one in 10 shows returning a profit - and that money going to the producers rather than theatre owners - ready cash is not available to do the work.

A report in 2003 called Act Now! estimated the costs at £250million, and the Evening Standard has campaigned for action to preserve the capital's theatres. But after years of talks between government, public funders and commercial owners reached an impasse, Bob Blackman, Conservative chairman of the economic development, culture, sport and tourism committee, was asked to investigate.

Today, he called on all sides to restart talks to save what English Heritage has described as some of London's most important public buildings.

Mr Blackman said: "Theatres are not just commercial enterprises but also vital parts of London's economy, culture and heritage, which makes it undeniable that public bodies have some role to play in securing their future.

"It would be a tragedy to see these iconic buildings slip further into disrepair, especially with theatre audience numbers now at record numbers. But there does need to be a willingness among theatre owners to take a more creative approach and look at options."

The report, Restoration Drama: Investment In West End Theatre Buildings, called on owners to develop business plans to raise investment and prioritise which buildings needed tackling first. Smaller, less viable ones were widely seen as most at risk.

Another recommendation was that a charity should be established to channel any public funding.

The report said a mixture of financial solutions would probably be needed.

A VAT exemption scheme similar to the one for places of worship would reduce the cost of building work. A restoration levy, as advocated by the Standard years ago and since implemented by some venues, was one option. Fundraising drives were another.

But the report conceded some of these solutions would be tough to implement. A levy would add to the already high costs of going to the theatre.

It was difficult to attract commercial sponsors when owners did not have tickets to give to them as these were held by producers. Debentures were not appealing for venues which could not guarantee what would be shown.

Some commercial owners felt they could not bank on the degree of public loyalty that had boosted successful fundraising campaigns for subsidised venues such as the Hackney Empire and the Young Vic.

Arts Council England told the inquiry it could not back capital projects without artistic plans that met their objectives and, as owners were not in control of what was staged, this could not be guaranteed.

The Heritage Lottery Fund said its money was not primarily for private gain so commercial theatre was a low priority. The London Development Agency and Mayor Ken Livingstone claimed the case for public sector intervention had not been demonstrated but they conceded theatre was a "vital component of London's cultural offer" and made a big contribution to the economy.

The report called on Mr Livingstone to do more to show his commitment by adding investment in theatre buildings to his other support. It said the three organisations should give "full and proper consideration" to any funding applications.

The committee will discuss Mr Blackman's draft report at a meeting on 6 February.

TWO THEATRES: ONE UNTOUCHED AND ONE TRANSFORMED

Garrick
Charing Cross Road, WC2

Since 2005 The Garrick has been owned by Nimax, whose five theatres made a profit of just £29,842 in 2005/06. It has not been upgraded substantially since 1889 and now requires better backstage technology, new seating and air conditioning. The only entry point for sets are doors 32in across, which means sets often have to be dismantled and reassembled in the theatre at huge cost. An old system for hanging sets means that if a production has three different ones three intervals are needed so they can be pushed on and off manually. Some years ago, cinema-style rather than theatre-style seats were installed, and have limited sightlines. It would cost £400,000 to replace them. It would cost £500,000 to fit air conditioning.

At present, staff open fire exits between performances to create a breeze. A disused gallery, if brought back into use, would increase the number of seats from 716 to 1,100 on three levels.

The current production of Absurd Person Singular stars Jane Horrocks with Jenny Seagrove, Lia Williams, John Gordon Sinclair and David Bamber. It is the first Alan Ayckbourn play in the West End for five years. Recent shows included a reprise of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest starring Christian Slater and Alex Kingston.

Gielgud
Shaftesbury Ave, W1

The Gielgud was taken over by Delfont Mackintosh, Cameron Mackintosh's company, in 2005, and since then has had improvements costing around £3.5 million.

The restoration, from the foyer through to the backstage dressing rooms, required close attention to detail.

Improvements include the number of seats being increased from 889 to more than 1,000 on three levels, and the installation of air conditioning.

There are new seats and carpets, a refurbished bar, new signage and lighting and 33 new lavatories - 11 more than before. For disabled theatre-goers there is now improved access from the road, removable seats and a disabled lavatory in the foyer.

Backstage, the improvements have included upgrading the system to carry heavier sets and enable lights to be hung without the use of ladders.

The Chichester Festival Theatre production of Macbeth, starring Patrick Stewart, transferred to the Gielgud last year and was a sell-out which won awards. It closed just before Christmas.

The current production of Nicholas Nickleby closes on Sunday. Other recent shows have included Equus, starring Daniel Radcliffe, and Frost/Nixon, with Michael Sheen and Frank Langella.