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Save Our Theatres
23.11.07
The Edwardian and Victorian theatres of London are among its great treasures but many are crumbling - and something must be done.
The first concerted cry for help was made by the Theatres Trust in 2003. It carried out a thorough inventory of the capital's theatre real estate and concluded £250 million was required to bring it up to date. That figure is now thought to be around the £300 million mark.
Some theatre owners have instituted a dedicated restoration fund levy on ticket prices which others could also yet adopt. But it is unlikely to be enough. And the economics of theatre ownership makes it unlikely that some venues will ever make the profits required to pay for the work needed.
So as a passionate supporter of theatre in this city, the Evening Standard is asking everyone who cares about the London stage to bring forward ideas for other ways to help. For surely the shows must go on.
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Reader views (3)
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I love the London Theatre Distict, have done since I was a youngster (100 years or so ago), I would that it could keep as much of it's old character as is possible -- Broadway is okay, but really there is no comparison anywhere in the world with London...DON'T wreck it!
- Will Oliver, Winnipeg, Canada
Theatre owners should foot the bill: they make 100% profit on programmes and profits from booking fees and drinks.
- Gillian Diamond, Kentish Town, London
It's not just the theatres that need refurbishing - we should be looking at the Tube stations in the West End too. Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus etc are all dumps. It's embarrassing when you see tourists packed onto crowded Tube trains then confronted by the litter-strewn stations.
- Jon, Kentish Town
