The Battle to Save the Coliseum

Oldham entered a state of deep shock on 8th February with the announcement that in a matter of weeks  the curtain would come  down on the Coliseum – and future shows were cancelled. The iconic theatre right at the heart of the town, in Fairbottom Street, would close for the last time on 26th March, after 136 years in existence.

No one felt the shock more keenly than David Rustidge.

House Manager for 34 years, from 1982-2016, one of his many duties was to stand in the foyer, sharply togged out in a tuxedo, cheerily welcoming visitors. It was a role that made him arguably the public face of the theatre, a very well-known figure in his hometown, always well placed to judge the public mood.

“We are all in a state of shock,” he tells me, a catch in his voice. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen next, but everyone agrees that the Coliseum cannot be allowed to die.”

It was less of a bombshell to those closely associated with it who had been living in fear it might come to this after news broke on 4th November, 2022, that the Arts Council, England (ACE), had rejected its bid for a grant of £615,182 per year, worth in the region of £1.845 million over the fixed three-year period.

On its long and colourful journey from circus to cinema to repertory theatre, surviving bankruptcies, ghosts and a death on stage, it’s had to close its doors on a number of occasions. The longest period was from 1933 to the outbreak of War when The Oldham Playgoers’ Club came together to sign the lease on the building and stage their own morale-raising productions.  “There have been many crises, perhaps not as bad because there has always been support from funding bodies, and audiences have always come surging back!”

He is certain the people of Oldham will rally round, and greatly heartened by the campaign, gaining momentum, spearheaded by Chris Lawson, the theatre’s Artistic Director and CEO, with vocal support from among others, local MPs, Jim McMahon and Debbie Abrahams, Maxine Peake of Dinner Ladies fame, and former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Numerous stars of British soap operas made their debut here, not least Barbara Knox (Rita Sullivan), William Roache (Ken Barlow), and Roy Barraclough (Alec Gilroy), of Coronation Street – and Paula Tilbrook (Betty Eagleton) and Steve Halliwell (Zak Dingle) of Emmerdale. Many actors have already taken to social media in support.

One of the oldest theatres in operation, renovated as recently as 2014, it is a fundamental part of the cultural landscape of the North West, providing a balanced programme of drama, comedy, musical and new writing. It is one of only 32 theatres in England that regularly produce their own plays – putting on eight annual in-house shows as well as hosting touring companies.

The hugely popular pantomime is an institution that unites the generations. It was being taken to one by his mother, a keen theatre-goer, that began his long association with the Coliseum back in 1960, while a schoolboy at Chadderton Grammar.  “It was Babes in the Wood and the young William Roache, now 99-years old, was playing Robin Hood, shortly before he found fame as Ken Barlow.”

David was instantly smitten by his first taste of the magic of theatre. With an encyclopedic knowledge, aided by an extensive collection of programmes, he can’t recall missing many productions, even when living in Durham, training to be a geography teacher at Bede College. As a teacher, at Hollin High School, Middleton, Manchester, he took delight in passing on his love of local theatre to his pupils.

In his early days, the theatre was for members only. His junior membership set him back 1s/6d (7 and a half p), the same price as senior citizens: adults paid half a crown (12 and a half p). It was a repertory theatre with its own company of contracted, versatile actors. He still marvels at their ability to play so many different roles, master so many different accents, acting at night and rehearsing during the day for the next show. “It was just wonderful to see a different play every fortnight!” he says with an almost boyish enthusiasm.

The actors became local celebrities called upon to present speech day prizes, open fetes and attend charitable events. Repeatedly it’s the idea of the Coliseum being at the heart of the community that David returns to and the tragic loss if it were to close.

One of the most influential Directors he remembers was Carl Paulsen, a man of great vision and innovation before his tragically early death in 1973. “He brought energy and talent to everything he did, applying for grants, fighting for public funding as well as acting, directing and administrating.”

“It was a golden age,” David enthuses, “for actors, audiences and writers.”

Carl raised the theatre’s profile by persuading Pat Phoenix, famous as Elsie Tanner, the siren of Coronation Street, to take a starring role in Tennessee Williams’s Suddenly Last Summer. “Her American accent was a bit variable,” he laughs, “but we had full houses every night!”

Kenneth Alan Taylor, another Coliseum stalwart, Director from 1978 to 1982, and Chief Executive from 1996 to 2002, was responsible for introducing ground-breaking Northern plays by emerging writers such as Alan Bleasdale, Willy Russell and Mike Harding. “It was a golden age,” David enthuses, “for actors, audiences and writers.”

Looking back fondly to his own working days, David wonders how he managed to combine being in overall charge of audiences, staffing and important front-of-house duties including ordering supplies, auditing stock levels, checking safety aspects and the fabric of the interior of the building.

David continues to work actively as a volunteer, still informed by the spirit of the old repertory days when it never closed, and one play was succeeded by another all year round. Sadly, he’s not sure where the future lies even if it’s granted a reprieve.  “There’s talk of us moving to a new ‘multi-activity arts space’ eventually, in Union Street,” he says, “but who can say – and it’s three years away from completion.”

As a firm believer the Coliseum belongs to the community, he retains the hope the whole of the North West will come together to save it. “I just can’t believe the curtain will be allowed to come down on 136 years of history!”

NorthernLife Mar/Apr 23