Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre hoping to bring in West End shows
The Grand Theatre will be given a major cash investment in a bid to attract West End shows, it was revealed today.
It emerged the attraction is suffering from a slump in takings because it can't accommodate some big name productions. The theatre would be handed a one-off cash lump sum by Wolverhampton City Council to expand its facilities.
The Civic Hall would also be given a one-off cash handout to increase its entertainment space.
But both attractions are facing cuts in their annual funding from the council if the plans go ahead.
The council wants to scrap its £500,000 a year subsidy to the Civic Halls and cut £50,000 from its £453,000 grant to the Grand next year and another £50,000 in 2016.
It comes as figures revealed that income at the Civic Halls was £1.4 million between 2009 and 2012, a drop of £279,000 on bar takings and £115,000 in hall hire on the previous three years.
Council documents reveal the Grand is predicting a loss this year and needs to expand its facilities to attract big shows.
Councillor Roger Lawrence, leader of Wolverhampton City Council said: "The Grand and the Civic Halls would be part of what we call 'invest to save'. If we help them by investing in them then we can save money in the long run.
"The problem the Grand has is that some of the shows were made for the bigger London stages and can't be brought here without the enormous expense of creating a new set. With the Civic Halls we're already working to create more entertainment space."
Jeremy Brown, chairman of the Grand Theatre board said: "The theatre continues to work very closely with the city council to ensure the Grand has a positive future." The council is currently drawing up £56.5 million of cuts over five years.
