Oldham Coliseum Theatre is continuing to fundraise to support its future as it remains closed to the public until early 2021.
The theatre was less than two weeks from reopening with a season of covid-safe, socially distanced events when the Government announced that a further nationwide lockdown would commence from Thursday 5 November.
The Coliseum’s first ever Crowdfunder has received phenomenal support, reaching its £40,000 target on the day the lockdown began. The theatre is continuing to fundraise and has now stretched this target to £55,000
Launched in September following the postponement of this year’s pantomime to 2021, #GetBehindUs asks people to support the Coliseum to help keep the magic of theatre alive and save Christmas in Oldham for generations to come. Having already postponed the pantomime, the theatre also had to cancel its socially distanced Christmas offer, A Christmas Carol, as it cannot guarantee that the production would be able to go ahead.
However, in the lead up to Christmas, support from the #GetBehindUs campaign has enabled the Coliseum to produce two panto related offers for schools to help keep some panto magic alive for children in Oldham: Panto Storytelling tour and Panto Box virtual workshop. Further digital offers for public will be announced in due course.
Alex Ludlam from Bright Futures School said: “Bright Futures School have attended the pantomime at Oldham Coliseum for a number of years now. We have also booked workshops that have taken place both at the theatre and in school. Visiting the theatre to watch a show can be problematic to pupils with autism – they are faced with loud music and sound effects, darkness, sudden noises, variable lighting and new smells. The way that Oldham Coliseum prepared our children and catered to their needs enabled all of the children to not only access the pantomime but thoroughly enjoy the experience. When attending the theatre the children are able to interact with people working in the theatre and meet others from the local community forging links and memories. The workshops give the pupils the freedom to see the world from a new perspective and practice scenarios to help them deal with day to day life. I cannot express how valuable both the workshop and pantomime experiences are for our pupils.”
For 135 years people have visited Oldham’s historic theatre to experience the magic of the renowned annual pantomime and year-round programme of award-winning drama, comedy and music. The Coliseum contributes millions to Oldham’s economy and has helped to launch the career of many famous faces. The theatre’s work in the communities of Oldham offers support to some of the most underprivileged people in the country, works with people with additional needs, offers training, brings the borough’s richly diverse population together and helps to build confidence.
In a survey by The Audience Agency 95% of audiences said that the Coliseum is good for Oldham’s image and a further 63% said that the Coliseum enhances the sense of community in Oldham.
This year, due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Coliseum has been closed with no ticket income since March.
Donations are open atwww.crowdfunder.co.uk/get-
