Created by Bob Blizzard, Waveney Constituency Labour Party, 35 High Street, NR32 1HY.
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Letter from Westminster - March 2010

I’ll never forget the opening of the Marina Theatre in 1988, especially as I had suggested Rick Wakeman to play the ceremonial first night performance. And what a night it was! Soon after, the Lowestoft Players began playing to full houses. Most people will have a special performance they remember - a band, a play or even a Jack Rose slide show. Mine was watching Ronnie Scott!

When I was Leader of Waveney District Council I was pleased to fund the Marina, because as human beings we cannot live without art and culture. That’s why more recently I campaigned for the Seagull Theatre as well. We’ve always had to fund the Marina ourselves because Suffolk County Council has never given a penny, even though it has regularly funded the Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich and the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds – the usual Suffolk story!

Nevertheless, the Marina went from strength to strength, culminating in its association with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The current manager is the best we’ve ever had. A town without a theatre is a town without artistic soul. It’s interesting that even during a recession, people still want to treat themselves to a night out, and attendances held up well last year.

Yet it seems the Marina is now under threat. Quietly last year its budget was severely cut by ruling councillors, which meant a significant reduction in the number of concerts and shows. Surprise, surprise – this meant that theatre takings were down, and now its budget is under even more pressure.

WDC’s latest idea is to put the Marina in the hands of a local Trust, ideally formed by longstanding supporters of the theatre. There is a good deal of merit in this idea as it would increase the chances of accessing Arts Council money, of which, as a council run theatre, it has never received a penny.

However, the theatre will still need proper funding, guaranteed from WDC, year on year. All provincial theatres need subsidy; none of them pay for themselves. So, if the council is looking at saving money or only continuing funding for a limited time, the Marina’s future will be in doubt.

We must maintain the theatre. When I first became a councillor in 1987, the Marina was boarded up and used for storage. Bringing it back to life was one of the proudest achievements I was involved with. We must keep the stage alive and not let the final curtain fall.