Welcome to the website for Worthing Theatres Trust, a charitable organisation set up to ensure the continuation of Theatre and the Arts within Worthing.
Worthing Theatres Trust has been founded by local volunteers, some theatre professionals, some theatre goers, in response to the recent revelations from Worthing Borough Council about possible closure of one or all of the Theatre venues. The Trust is aiming to provide an option to the Council whereby the venues can be retained as places of entertainment for the good of the community and local area.
But more than this, we are there to ensure that theatre and the arts continue to thrive and develop within Worthing and the local region, by working with and supporting amateur dramatic societies, professional theatre companies, drama and dance schools, as well as other charities.
We will be undertaking all sorts of events, activities, and fundraising campaigns to try and raise money to ensure that the theatre scene within Worthing continues, so please click on the links above to find out more about who we are, what we are doing, and how you can help or start helping now, by donating to our fighting fund using the button below.
‘All sectors of the theatre industry are being affected by the current economic crisis and the budgetary cuts that have been implemented and it is therefore in the interests of everyone working within this area, both professional and amateur, to strive to protect our theatres from closure. Samuel French Ltd therefore enthusiastically supports Worthing Theatres Trust’s efforts in this regard.’
Paul Taylor, Performing Rights Director at Samuel French Ltd
‘The local Brighton & Hove RSA Fellows’ network supports what the Worthing Theatres Trust is attempting to do. If the Trust’s bid is successful, we will work with it to identify how we can contribute to the outcome, specifically in work connected with investigating Community Involvement and Cohesion.’
Dr Irene Campbell, Deputy Chair Fellowship Council, RSA (Royal Society of Arts)
I think this is a fantastic idea to try and preserve all of Worthing’s great theatres – and I think they should all be preserved, not just one or two! The arts are so important in any community and, as the largest town in West Sussex, Worthing should try to lead by example by promoting cultural activities and preserving heritage venues.
CJ Gaydon, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
Thank you so much for your kind comments. This is mutually felt as I am a great lover of Pallant House!
Roy Stannard
It’s good to see such determination to keep these venues going and I hope the Assembly Hall does not become the ‘Cinderella’ and become the one venue not to be saved. It would be a disgrace if this Hall which was given as a gift to the town were to go, and an insult to the memory and descendants of J G Denton. Surely any plan to usurp the wishes of Alderman Denton whose bequest was “in perpetuity” should be the subject of a judicial review.
The installation of Wurlitzer Theatre Organ was positively welcomed and encouraged by the council in the early 1980’s It is probably the best of its kind in the country (if not the World) would have to be dismantled (well over 1200 pipes, I believe) at a cost of getting on for £1M. Yet another insult: this time to the pioneering and selfless work of Jim Buckland who has the people of Worthing a unique instrument.
Then, of course, the fantastic Worthing Symphony would lose its home and it’s hard to see how the orchestra would survive without it.
I suppose that the problem is that for a small municipal council Worthing has an embarrassment of riches, which, to be fair, no council of that size can maintain in these days of austerity. Surely, the answer must be to see these as regional and national assets and enlist the aid of the appropriate bodies. The Assembly Hall is far too good a building to throw away. It should be Grade 1 listed and managed as a charity by trustees. The Wurlitzer needs to be regarded as a national treasure and ought to be eligible for Lottery and Arts Council sponsorship. The orchestra should be renamed the Sussex Symphony and should tour all the main venues the county (e.g. Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, etc) in return for funding from the County Council and other district and town councils.
It is understandable that Worthing Council should seek a solution by selling or leasing these assets to private companies, or charitable trusts. It would be very wrong if they were simply going through the motions prior to asset-stripping for short term gain.
I live in Chichester, but we may as well be living on another planet for all the attention paid in this city to what is going on just down the coast. Somehow we must widen the campaign to make this more of a regional issue. Most of the people in this city are hardly aware of the existence of either the Wurlitzer or the WSO. At present publicity and advertising beyond the environs of Worthing is almost non-existent.
“Your theatres need you!” is your message, but what you don’t say is exactly how we can help or what we can do.
Hi Nick
Thank you for your fulsome message of support. I agree with all your sentiments. The only reason twe haven’t been able to ask for more tangible expressions of support is because we are prevented from going too public by the Council during the tender process. Once we have won, then you’ll see us unleashed! In the meantime, please sign up as a friend on this site in order to get updates as we go along.
Hello, I read a suggestion today that a way to gain extra funds is to apply a Ticket Levy, which I assume means a Booking Fee. This is an absolutely objectionable way to grab a few extra pounds from the theatre goer who is already having to dig deep to pay for tickets. For example, in London, some theatres charge a Restoration Fee and a Booking Fee in addition to the ticket price, which makes the overall price to be paid by the theatre goer even more expensive and surely is almost a dishonest way to gain a few extra pounds. With parking charges etc to take into account, a night out to see a show is now something that needs to be carefully considered. I for one would like to attend more productions but it’s the cost that deters me.
Please don’t go down that strange but all too common line of thought that says that because there needs to be an increase in income we must charge the existing customer base even more. And then the circle starts again!
The local papers etc state that the thetres are to be retained under the control of the Council. Should you not have updated the website by now? Without meaning to be unkind, you do not appear to be very dynamic and appear to be simply letting matters rest. Is this case? Can you not put some umph into your campaign?
Hi Viv
We were placed under a publicity embargo by the Council for the duration of the Tender process – and immediately afterwards we were in close negotiations with them over a role on the Advisory Board.
Going public with our concerns and bargaining points would not have been the way forward at that point. We were heavily involved in day to day discussions which required us to maintain a discretion which we are no longer under any obligation to maintain. Creating a 126 A3 page tender document and business plan took a considerable amount of oomph I can assure you!