• Make a contribution
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Friday, May 30, 2025
  • Login
Reading Today Online
  • HOME
  • YOUR AREA
    • All
    • Caversham
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Katesgrove
    • Reading
    • Southcote & Coley
    • Tilehurst & Norcot
    • Whitley

    Six Berkshire residents awarded British Empire medal by Berkshire Lieutenancy

    Enjoy a fiesta of a concert in Wokingham

    Subsidies for All-Bus ticket fares end as public transport use returns to pre-Covid levels

    Royal Berks one of 28 Trusts to see new radiotherapy machine investment

    Berkshire Care Association celebrates stars at annual Care Awards

    Royal Berks records second-highest number of mixed-sex accommodation breaches in England, report shows

    UTC SEND students win big in Agricultural Challenge

    Reading Buses: ‘no reported injuries’ following traffic incident involving bus on Kings Road

    Thames Water issued £123M Ofwat fine – the biggest ever – over environmental breaches

  • COMMUNITY
  • READING FC
  • SPORT
    • All
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Rugby

    ‘Reading FC is a sleeping giant’: Club gains new investors just weeks into Couhig’s takeover

    Reading FC’s pitch set for major improvements ahead of 2025/26 campaign

    Berkshire CCC look to seek revenge against Cheshire

    Rob Couhig speaks on the future of Reading FC’s Academy and Category One status

    Supporters’ Trust at Reading joins 21-group alliance calling for Football Governance Bill amendment

    The Forest School U15s make history with another National Elite Cup victory

    Former Reading FC player announces shock international retirement

    Former Reading FC player reflects on heart attack suffered during match

    FC Bracknell U10 Lions score dramatic winner to win the cup for second season in a row

  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Reading Today Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Six figure revamp for theatre Woodley approved despite troubled recent history

James Aldridge, local democracy reporter by James Aldridge, local democracy reporter
Monday, April 28, 2025 4:56 am
in Featured, Property
A A
Woodley

Woodley

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A six-figure upgrade is due for a theatre in Woodley despite its troubled recent history.

The Alan Cornish Theatre has been situated at Oakwood Centre in Woodley since 2013.

There has been a project since the start of this year to make upgrades to the theatre with new technology, an improved sound system and enhanced lighting for more than £100,000.

However, there are indications that the theatre is struggling, as it has only 25 per cent usage since Woodley Theatre group closed in December 2023.

Despite this, there was consensus that a six-figure revamp of the theatre would be positive at a Woodley Town Council meeting.

Matthew Filmore, deputy town clerk, said: “The space after Woodley Theatre’s demise 18 months ago was being utilised around 25 per cent of the time.

Related posts

Six Berkshire residents awarded British Empire medal by Berkshire Lieutenancy

Walk the Walk highlights supporters during National Volunteers’ Week

‘Reading FC is a sleeping giant’: Club gains new investors just weeks into Couhig’s takeover

Enjoy a fiesta of a concert in Wokingham

“So that space in this building is 75 per cent of the time not used at all.

“There are community groups that use that space, and it is well used by the people who use it, but even they feel that the technical capabilities are a bit outdated for those groups.

“But for us to be able to get to the point of utilising much more of that space and really optimising its use we have to make technical upgrades otherwise the space becomes unusable, and you either think of completely shutting it or or repurposing it for something else.

“But we have a fantastic theatre facility and therefore investment in it would seem to make sense.”

The viability of the project was debated.

Although supportive, councillor Keith Baker (Conservative, Coronation East) suggested the council should hold off on hiring a dedicated theatre manager for around £40,000 could be at risk of “twiddling their thumbs” without work if demand for the theatre is low.

An initial consultation process from the company Blue Horizon recommended that the project should go ahead.

However, cllr Mike Kennedy (Conservative, Bulmershe) wondered why councillors had not been directly engaged with earlier.

He said: “I’m disappointed that as a council we haven’t been involved in the early stages of discussion.

“I have to say that I don’t think a 100-seat theatre is viable.

“That’s my first concern. I would have loved to have had a smaller subcommittee of councillors working with the consultants to really thrash out some of these issues because I am actually concerned that the venue is too small.”

Cllr Baker expressed hopes the Alan Cornish Theatre could replicate the successes of the South Street Arts Centre in Reading.

He said: “I would dispute the initial statement about small theatres not working, because South Street is a 120 seater and it is incredibly successful.

“They have identified the market they go into, which tends to be the fringe of Broadway.

“They know exactly what they’re doing. Reading Borough Council which owns it, said they’re going to shut it. There was a massive kickback from residents, they reviewed what they were doing and identified the real market they were going for and did it.”

The upgrade to Alan Cornish Theatre would cost circa £130,000, a budget that was agreed in principle by councillors.

Cllr Juliet Anderson (Conservative, Coronation Central) said: “This is a really huge community asset that we’re not getting the most out of at the minute.

“This needs to be for the residents of Woodley, both young and old.

“There is a huge part of the community that could use this.”

Woodley councillors agreed to spend £8,925 on consultants Blue Horizon to move forward with the next stages of the project.

The decision was made at a strategy and resources committee meeting on April 22.

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

Former Reading FC boss Ruben Selles on brink of relegation with Hull City

Next Post

Claims for Reading parking fines blunder ‘slow to a trickle’

FOLLOW US

POPULAR STORIES

  • Young man and woman attacked by group of teenagers in Reading robbery

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC star to become free agent following Championship relegation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Thousands experience power outage in Reading, not expected to be fixed for hours

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC group Sell Before We Dai makes generous donation following end of campaign

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC takeover: EFL provides update as sale nears completion

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

RDG.Today – which is a Social Enterprise – provides Reading Borough with free, independent news coverage.

If you are able, please support our work

Click Here to Support RDG.Today

ABOUT US

Reading Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Reading. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Reading Borough.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Reading Today Logo

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Bracknell
    • Calcot
    • Caversham
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
  • COMMUNITY
  • SPORT
    • Reading FC
    • Football
    • Rugby
    • Basketball
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT US
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION

© 2021 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.