This year the Society of London Theatre (Solt) celebrates its centenary. Andrew Lloyd Webber has seized the opportunity to draw attention to the state of London‘s West End theatres in the House of Lords. But why should the taxpayer pay to renovate privately owned, very valuable buildings? Rosemary Squire, president of Solt, argues the case
‘The vast majority of these wonderful, unique buildings are listed, but unlike subsidised organisations, they haven’t received any public funds from the Lottery and the audience experience remains less than desirable. That’s not to say that they are unsafe. But is it right in 2008 that some members of the audience don’t actually go in through the front door? And that there are theatres with pillars in them? Or that they are very cramped?
‘Theatre is a risky business, particularly for the smaller playhouses like the Duchess. A huge proportion of our money for funding shows comes from the US and profits are not necessarily going into London pockets. Most shows will at best recoup and many lose all their money.
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‘It’s true that theatre owners can make a lot of money with musicals, but I know from personal experience that the Piccadilly, which recently has had some successful musicals, has not made nearly enough over the last ten years to fund the kind of work that we’d like to see: stripping out the airconditioning, improving the whole backstage etc.
‘The biggest challenge is to find out how we can part fund it – we’re not suggesting remotely that it should all come from a public source. These theatres are part of our heritage and a huge draw for people coming to London. They are an important part of the London economy and they need to be protected.’
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