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The conference facilities, function suites, and dance and drama
classes will continue and none of the partner organisations or
commercial retail units which operate within the Cresset complex
will be affected by the closure of the theatre.
Jonathan Martin, chief executive of
YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, which runs the complex under the
direction of the Cresset Board of Trustees, said: “This has been a
tremendously difficult decision and we are all very sad to be losing
the theatre but in these difficult economic times we just couldn’t
continue as we were. Whilst we’ve always provided great
entertainment for the city and had good support from the public,
we’ve struggled to break-even financially and this year we’ll record
a large loss.
“The theatre will also need a lot
of investment in the coming years and we simply couldn’t justify the
theatre continuing without putting the other community facilities at
risk. This way we can keep The Cresset complex, which is used by
thousands of people in Bretton and across Peterborough, and focus on
maintaining the community aspect of the site.”
Leader of Peterborough City Council
Marco Cereste said: “This is disappointing news. However,
Peterborough City Council will continue to work with the
Cresset-YMCA to explore all possible opportunities for the future
development of The Cresset. At present we are looking at a number of
potential opportunities and we are considering them in terms of
their viability.”
Shelagh Smith, chairman of the
Peterborough Culture and Leisure Trust, said: “We will work in
partnership with The Cresset and Peterborough City Council over the
coming months to provide the best possible opportunities to continue
bringing quality entertainment to the city.”
Discussions may take place with
staff at The Key theatre to see if any productions scheduled for the
period after June 26 could be moved to the Embankment venue.
The Cresset will still be available
for hire and all existing bookings for weddings, conferences and
room hire will be unaffected.
All shows at The Cresset until June
26 will continue as usual. Anyone who has purchased tickets for
shows after this date, including Jimmy Carr, Jethro, Swan Lake and
Abba Mania, will be refunded.
Those who paid for tickets by debit
or credit card or by cheque will be automatically refunded into
their bank accounts over the next month. People who paid by cash
should bring their tickets into the box office to collect a cash
refund. |
