Extra £1.5m needed to complete Jersey Opera House

The Government of Jersey has invested more than £12m into the project but £1.5m is still needed, the venue has said

The Jersey Opera House has warned it must find an extra £1.5m if it is to complete its refurbishment.

A spokesperson for the venue said without the funding "the range and quality of performances we can host will be significantly limited".

It comes after the Government of Jersey invested more than £12 million into the project, which began in March 2020.

Work was due to be completed by the summer of 2022 but the plans were delayed due to the complexity of renovation work.

'Severely limited'

A Jersey Opera House statement said: "Essential technical infrastructure upgrades are still required to ensure that the Opera House can operate as a fully equipped theatre.

"Without these upgrades, we have a beautiful building but the type of productions it can stage is severely limited, affecting local productions and reducing the scale and quality of events we can both present and bring to the island."

The statement explained modern staging and lighting equipment were "essential" to meet the standards of a "mid-scale receiving theatre".

Further upgrades such as a new prompt desk, performance communication systems and the supporting cabling infrastructure would also be needed.

In May 2024, States Minister Kirsten Morel said he hoped the first shows at the refurbished theatre would be on by Easter 2025.