Oldham Coliseum appoints new board to preserve theatre’s legacy and region’s culture

Trustees will decide on the future of the organisation which lost all its Arts Council funding and hosts final performances this month

A new board of trustees has been appointed to preserve the legacy of Oldham Coliseum and “safeguard the delivery of culture” in the town after the theatre’s closure at the end of this month.

The 138-year-old Coliseum, which has been stripped of its funding from Arts Council England (ACE), will present its last scheduled performance this weekend and is considering marking the closure next week with a special event. Julie Hesmondhalgh, one of many actors to decry the 100% funding cut, has called for a sit-in protest at the venue and described ACE’s decision as an act of “cultural vandalism”.