Venue could go into liquidation as extent of financial problems revealed by directors

Members are meeting this weekend to discuss the fate of the historic Little Germany theatre, expected to go into liquidation on September 21.

Director and acting treasurer Paul Kilgallon said the theatre has been “living on borrowed time” and needs £100,000 of maintenance work to take it into the future.

“When I joined in January I understood there was a debt of between £60,000 and £90,000.

“After looking into it, with myself and the other director turning over stones, talking to creditors and gathering information, we have logged a historic debt of £255,000 and believe the final figure to be over £300,000.”

“Unless someone comes up with £300,000 between now and September 21, it will go into administration.”

He added: “It can be a viable business if run properly, but maintenance of the building has been a problem in the past. Parts of the building are off-limits. If it goes forward it will need a major refurbishment.”

Mr Kilgallon is awaiting results of a valuation of the building. “I believe it’s worth between £200,000 and half a million,” he said. “Obviously we’d like someone to come along with a rescue package. But the most important thing right now is that the creditors get their money back.”

Events due to run at the Playhouse until September 21 will still go ahead.

This year a new leadership team of staff and volunteers has been developing Bradford Playhouse as an arts venue. Mr Kilgallon said: “We’re covering our costs, but you can’t be solvent with all that historic debt.”

He said to have a solid future the venue must connect more to the voluntary sector, focusing on health and social projects based around the arts.

“It needs to be seen as a useful asset and appeal to a wider, more diverse range of users, not just a niche market.”