A big summer street party is hitting the streets of Oldham today (July 8). Local campaign groups and the council will host an evening of festivities on Fairbottom Street from 6.30pm, ahead of a “special announcement” about the much-loved Oldham Coliseum.
The historic theatre has been at the centre of an energetic campaign by Save Oldham Coliseum ever since its sudden closure in March last year. Talks of reopening the venue have recently been ‘back on the table’ after the council initially considered building a new multi-million pound theatre in the town centre.
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Screenwriter Ian Kershaw, who’s been involved in the campaign, said: “This event is a celebration of a passionate campaign and marks an incredible moment in the fight to save our theatre."
The BAFTA-winning Coronation Street and Shameless writer added: “The legendary, internationally famous Oldham Coliseum is the town's beating heart of art and culture. Audience members from Oldham, and across the country, have joined us to urge the people in power to think again.”
The event tonight will run from 6.30 to 8pm, with food and beverages provided by local bars and restaurants. It will feature a brass band, performances, dancing and the highly anticipated announcement by actor Julie Hesmondhalgh.
The news is expected to confirm if an agreement has been struck regarding the works needed to reopen the theatre. The Coliseum was forced to shut down after Arts Council England withdrew funding from the theatre’s management and structural issues were discovered within the building.
Hesmondhalgh has spearheaded the campaign with the support of other prominent actors and Coliseum devotees, including Christopher Eccleston, Shobna Gulati and Maxine Peake. She will also be performing a poem about the Coliseum, which was a part of a film created for the campaign.
"The public outcry that followed last year's closure of Oldham's beloved Coli, from audiences and artists alike, made national news,"Hesmondhalgh said. "Since then, a dedicated group of campaigners have been working tirelessly to fight for the jewel in Oldham's crown to be reopened and restored to her former glory.
“It is because of a board dedicated to the continuance of the Coliseum's cultural offer, the passion and persistence of a dogged band of campaigners, and a council willing to listen to its citizens, that we've arrived at this point."
Members of Oldham Council, who are supporting the event, and board members of the Oldham Coliseum will be in attendance.
The celebration comes as Oldham seeks to ‘revitalise’ the town centre through a number of large-scale projects around housing and high street investments, including the construction of a new market and food hall to replace Tommyfield.
Members of the Save the Coliseum group believe the Oldham Coliseum will “play a central role” in the regeneration of the town centre.
