“It’s a big boost for Oldham. Once people are here for the Coliseum, they wander into town and go to the other shops. It’s all connected'
A 53-year-old woman is peering up from under a polka-dotted umbrella to look at a washed-out building on Fairbottom Street in Oldham. Above the stained white walls, faded letters spell out the theatre’s name, almost unreadable.
The English teacher has lived and worked in London for much of her adult life but has never forgotten the many trips she made as a teenager from Bolton to the ‘most accessible theatre’ in Greater Manchester. The management had planned to move the Coliseum to a more modern venue, funded by the council, even before the closure. But as they were drawing up the shiny new designs, Brexit, the pandemic and rising costs of construction wreaked havoc with the UK economy.
Withhuge backing from the local community - and from stars ranging from Dame Emma Thompson and Christopher Eccleston to Sir Ian McKellen and Maxine Peake - the council had to reconsider their options - and eventually came around to the idea that the Coliseum was worth more than the unassuming building at first appeared.
Ross Symon, an Oldham machine setter who was waiting for a bus on Yorkshire Street a few days after the announcement, could attest to that. He said: “The town has declined a lot over the years. But the Coliseum remained a mainstay and it felt like it would always be there. She said: “A fantastic decision has been made to bring it back. It makes people remember that Oldham is still here!
Many people believe the Coliseum reopening will boost Oldham’s high street too. Ian Kershaw envisions the theatre working even more closely with local businesses - letting visitors order pizzas from local restaurants to the theatre before shows and encouraging footfall to nearby bars and cafes - though he says planning is still in its earliest stages.
Council leader Arooj Shah has also promised a more ‘cooperative approach’ to running and keeping the Coliseum alive. The council will act as more than a 'landlord' and become a 'partner in the arts' she said. Several actors including Sue Devaney, Jane Danson and Bernard Cribbins started their careers with the theatre. And there was an established ‘pipeline’ for supporting homegrown talent into shining TV and stage careers with the Oldham Theatre Workshop and colleges, according to Ian, which needed protecting. Especially at a time when the arts are accused of becoming a private schools' club.
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