Funding boost for urgent repairs to Bognor Regis theatre

Arun District Council’s economy committee approved a request for funding from Arun Arts, which operates the Alexandra Theatre, on Wednesday (19 January).

A total of £30,000 will be given over two years so the theatre can continue to provide ‘a range of high-quality entertainment for both residents and visitors’.

The theatre is also set to benefit from the council’s successful levelling up fund bid.

This will see £12.1 million invested in the building to provide increased capacity, additional floorspace for arts and cultural activities, and more.

But, in the meantime, ‘due to the age and condition of the Regis Centre building’ where the theatre is based, ‘urgent repairs’ are needed.

Although tens of thousands have been invested in recent years, a new roof leak will cost £4,000 to repair and electronic upgrades are set to cost at least another £24,000.

“Clearly the building is quite elderly and they struggle continuously with the maintenance,” council officers said.

‘They’ve turned it around’

Councillors were all too happy to support the theatre with new funding.

Francis Oppler (LDem, Orchard) applauded the ‘wonderful job done by the theatre’s volunteers over many, many years’. 

Matt Stanley (LDem, Marine) asked for the council to cover the cost of the repairs in its entirety.

“It is a wonderful theatre in Bognor and the work that has been done over the last few years has really turned it around,” he said. 

“I had the opportunity to visit before Covid and they were very much on a high, drawing all kinds of different performers and nationally recognised comics.

“We’ve already spent over £750,000 pounds this evening – or green lit that –  I’d like to think we could stretch to potentially covering the urgent repairs.”

But officers said this may not be possible due to increasing financial challenges facing the council, with one explaining: “I do not know where that money would come from.”

The committee ultimately turned down Mr Stanley’s suggestion.

Committee chair Andy Cooper (Con, Angmering and Findon) warned that awarding funding ‘on an ad hoc basis’ could be seen as unfair by other groups and David Edwards (Con, Felpham East) said repairs ‘could cost more than £28k’.

Pandemic posed challenges

The theatre reopened in July last year after being closed for 16 months due to pandemic restrictions.

It is estimated that more than £118,000 in ticket sales had to be refunded due to cancellations and loss of income ‘created strains on the trust’s finances’, according to a report before the economy committee.

Grants and the furlough scheme are thought to have helped the theatre ‘keep its head above water’ and external funding is still required until the theatre can become financially independent.

Before the pandemic the theatre’s financial stability improved year on year.

In 2019 there were 85 different shows and a total of 45,817 tickets were sold which helped to generate more than £614,000 in sales.

It is hoped the theatre can bounce back and council officers said the theatre was ‘pleased with the number of people that have come to their recent performances, particularly the pantomime over Christmas’.