Luton theatre missing lighting and sound equipment

The new owners of Luton Library Theatre are fundraising to buy sound and lighting equipment

A group of volunteers have asked for donations after taking over a theatre which was at risk of closure.

Luton Creative Community have been told they can take control of Luton Library Theatre from 19 October.

Now they are fundraising after discovering the venue had no sound or lighting equipment.

Terry Hayden, chairman of Luton Creative Community, said they needed about £20,000 worth of equipment to begin hosting shows.

The volunteers came together in August to discuss ideas to keep the theatre running.

The 116 members then created a business plan and worked with Luton Borough Council before it was agreed they could take over the venue.

"The community that uses the Library Theatre now runs the Library Theatre," added Mr Hayden.

Terry Hayden said: "There is no sound or lighting equipment - even the bar has had the fridges and till removed"

The 63-year-old was the duty manager at the venue in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Every night it was open I was there, I was first on that stage in 1976 so there's a lot of history there" he said.

He said the previous owners had repaired lighting and sound equipment themselves and when they moved on in 2021, they took the gear with them.

The leader of the volunteer group hopes to have raised the funds by the end of 2023 so new sound and lighting can be installed in January.

"We can then have our own equipment and begin getting the community back in," he said.

The Griffin Players, who are performing pantomime at the theatre in December, will use their own equipment for the show.

James Taylor, in charge of regeneration and growth at Luton Council, said the volunteer group would play an "important key role in contributing to our 10-year strategy for developing Arts and Culture in Luton".

And he added the theatre reopening would help the town become a "vibrant place for people to visit and spend time".