A theatre which should have been moving to a new £12m home has instead been left fighting for its future.
The Octagon Theatre, Bolton, has always been a popular attraction, but the financial pressure of the coronavirus lockdown has left organisers trying to fill a huge hole in funds.
Normally, shows at the venue bring in around £1m in ticket sales each year. That money is used to keep the theatre running.
Despite support from Bolton council and England's Arts Council, the lack of recent productions has created a serious problem.
It comes at an extremely unfortunate time, with the theatre set for a big move back into its home on Howell Croft Street South in Bolton town centre following an extensive rebuild.
The venue has been closed for around two years while construction crews demolished the old building and replaced it with a state-of-the-art new auditorium at a cost of £12m, mostly funded by the Arts Council and the local authority.
But, while the Octagon's future home is nearly completed, financial pressure on day-to-day operations has become so keen that the theatre's managers have had to turn to the public for help.
"We have tremendous support from Bolton Council and Arts Council England, who have invested in our building as well as our ongoing work," chief executive, Roddy Gauld said.
Most Read
"They are standing by us in these difficult times but they cannot realistically replace the huge amount of income we are losing.
"We are using the government’s furlough scheme, making savings and using our reserves to see us through, but still face a challenging shortfall.
"Every pound generously donated helps reduce that shortfall and I’m really grateful to everybody who has helped us."
The theatre is targeting a total of £35,000 in donations by the end of June in order to keep things running as smoothly as possible.
This includes help from The Oglesby Charitable Trust, a support group which has committed to doubling all the cash that is contributed by the public.
As well as putting on shows, The Octagon also runs a range of community programmes, from youth theatre projects to a special group for female refugees and asylum seekers.
So far, more than £25,000 has been raised but artistic director Lotte Wakeham has urged the public to keep supporting the cause.
Don’t miss
She said: “We have recently launched our first ever crowdfunding campaign to support the theatre during the Covid-19 crisis.
"We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the response and generosity so far – thank you so much. We’ve already received over £25,000 of d
onations and every penny really does make a difference and go a long way to help secure the future of the theatre.
"The new building is looking absolutely beautiful and is very nearly ready. We are determined that with the support of our funders and supporters we will re-open as soon as it is safe to do so, and can’t wait to welcome the whole community into their new theatre.
"We have been uplifted by so many messages about how important the Octagon is to so many people and we’re very grateful for the support already given.
"The current Covid-19 crisis is a serious challenge to theatres across the country and we need your support now more than ever.
"The delay to our reopening is estimated to cost our organisation half a million pounds, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure the Octagon will be here for future generations.”
Anyone who would like to donate to the Octagon or find out more about the theatre's work, should click here.