The actress was one of several speakers at a public meeting on Tuesday.
22 February 2023
Maxine Peake hailed local theatres as the “lifeblood” of communities as she spoke at a public meeting to save the historic Oldham Coliseum in Greater Manchester.
The actress was one of several famous faces that appeared to speak at the event on Tuesday, following announcements by Arts Council England (ACE) that funding for the venue would be cut.
Representatives for ACE were invited to the meeting but did not attend, with a symbolic empty chair placed on stage.
Oldham Coliseum, which was first built in 1885, now faces closure at the end of March.
In a short speech, Peake, who is originally from Bolton in Greater Manchester, said that watching theatre had given her “inspiration to be braver”.
“It’s all about community and it’s about what this theatre means to Oldham,” she told attendees.
“When I was a young actor, actors from Oldham gave me inspiration, it made me think ‘you can do it’.
“There was this amazing talent with this theatre in the centre of it…and there’s a saying ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it’. It’s about what spaces like this give to the audiences that come in.”
She continued: “As humans we need to eat and we need to heat, we need a roof over our head but we also all need witnesses.
“Storytelling is so important to our being, to be in stories, to witness stories, to share our experiences.
“As we have a government that is further and further dividing communities…theatres have become community centres.
“Even if I hadn’t been an actor, it gave me inspiration in my life to be braver, and watching theatre gives me inspiration to be braver.”
Oldham Council recently announced plans for a new theatre in the borough, reportedly costing £24 million, which is scheduled to open in 2026.
“I feel very honoured to be able to speak tonight for this theatre, we have got to save it,” Peake said.
“They’ve got to pull their finger out, this is not good enough – a three year wait? No way.
“Art should not be for the elite, it should be for everybody.”
Peake, who is known for shows including Dinnerladies, Silk and Shameless, later led a chant of “hands off Oldham”.
Other speakers at Tuesday’s event, which was held at the venue, included playwright Ian Kershaw, and actors Paul Hilton and Zoe Iqbal as well
The Arts Council has been empty chaired at a public meeting to save the historic Oldham Coliseum theatre.
The theatre, which dates back to 1885, is supported through Arts Council funding but has recently had its budget slashed, and now faces closure at the end of March.
Speakers at the event, which was held at the venue on Tuesday, included actress Maxine Peake, playwright Ian Kershaw, Paul Hilton and Zoe Iqbal, as well as Paul Liversey, north west regional official for Equity – who organised the event.
“While Oldham Council’s recommitment to building a new theatre is positive news, it still does not address the immediate problems that come with the Coliseum’s closure on April 1,” Mr Liversey said in a statement.
“These include the redundancies faced by Equity members who work there, alongside the fact that until the opening of the new venue – scheduled for 2026, so at least three years from now – there will be no theatre in the borough.
“This will create a vacuum of arts access in Oldham, with the community left without a producing theatre to nurture the creation of new writing and performing arts, alongside proper union jobs.
“We call on Arts Council England and Oldham Council to release details about the arts provision planned for Oldham in the years before the opening of the new theatre and, if these do not include the existence of a producing theatre, to save Oldham Coliseum.”
Arts Council England has been contacted for comment.
