Future looks bright for rescued Shropshire theatre

In a remarkable turnaround, the future is now looking bright for Bishop's Castle's Sparc theatre after being rescued by not-for-profit company Enterprise South West Shropshire.

The theatre has revealed that attendances have doubled after a strategy was put in place to make the venue more sustainable.

It was saved from closure after Teme Leisure decided to pull the plug on the arts side of the business at the start of 2013, due to a lack of funding.

Now the move had paid off and the fortunes of the theatre turned around thanks to a lot of hard work and support from the community, theatre manager Cait Leach said.

She said: "It has been a fantastic year. It is down to lots of people's input locally, both volunteers at the theatre and staff at Enterprise House.

"We looked at what we were programming and had a big drive towards being more sustainable financially, and towards how we could secure the future of the theatre.

"Changes we've made have been in line with that."

Miss Leach added: "We've had continued support from our loyal audience and we've seen great results that give us a lot of optimism for the future and we are making a lot of exciting plans."

She said the theatre's programme of live broadcasts from venues such as the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House had "hugely expanded" with more and more venues and shows making use of the technology.

"At the same time we're really pleased to keep up lots of live theatre here," Miss Leach added.

She said live music events had also expanded at the theatre, including a series of folk, Americana and bluegrass gigs had been particularly popular, along with classical music.

Peter Phillips, ESWS chairman, said the theatre now played an important part in the cultural and entertainment life in the area.

He said: "The local social enterprise company Enterprise South West Shropshire was delighted to step in as a sort of rescue.

"We knew that taking over the venue carried a risk but Cait Leach, the theatre manager, has triumphantly dispelled those anxieties."

Mike Ashwell, ESWS company manager, added: "It just shows what local enthusiasm can achieve.

"Cait is supported by a committed and gifted user group and an army of local volunteers has rallied round, joyful and energetic.

"We now have clear evidence that local management is a successful way to manage community facilities."

He added: "Sparc is a real community theatre."

ESWS took over the running of the theatre with help from charity Arts Alive in May last year.