Stafford Shakespeare Festival to move due to costs

Romeo and Juliet was staged at Stafford Castle in the summer

After more than 30 years outdoors, a popular Shakespeare festival is moving to an indoor venue.

Stafford Shakespeare Festival, staged at the castle in June and July, has been described by councillors as "one of the jewels in the town's cultural offering".

However, the local authority heard, like other organisations, it had faced a big rise in running costs.

As a result, the 2023 production will be staged at the Gatehouse Theatre.

Stafford Borough Council said it hoped the move would also bring more people into the town centre, benefiting other businesses in the area.

After reporting an annual energy bill of over £20m, Freedom Leisure, which runs leisure and cultural services on behalf of the borough council, asked for assistance in bringing costs down.

Staging the event at Stafford Castle meant "significant infrastructure costs" councillor Carolyn Trowbridge, responsible for leisure, said.

She said some of that involved the "terrain" and measures to "protect this important heritage site" during the festival.

The Gatehouse Theatre will host the 2023 Stafford Shakespeare Festival

Actor Eric Potts, who has appeared in the festival five times, expressed concern about how the move might change the experience for the audience.

"The show will be very popular, but at the same time it's not what it was in many ways - it's not what it was meant to be," he said.

Mr Potts, however, acknowledged the financial difficulties facing many venues in the UK at the moment.

'Make a profit'

While details of the 2023 festival will not be released until next week, The Gatehouse has said the change of venue will help make tickets more affordable.

Ms Trowbridge said the move would "enable the show to go on and hopefully make a profit".

She added the indoor location also meant the audience and production crew would not be "in the hands of the gods", when it came to the weather.

Councillors approved the move at a meeting on Thursday, alongside a plan of financial support for Freedom Leisure.

Ms Trowbridge said the move would allow both groups to look at future financing.

"I have asked officers to engage with Freedom Leisure to establish a deeper understanding of the steps being proposed and considered by Freedom Leisure to minimise their future energy costs," she said.