Banbury: Water damage forces theatre to extended closure

The Mill Arts Centre, in Banbury, said it'll be closed until the end of June

A theatre will close for an additional three months, after water damage to its auditorium floor proved to be worse than first thought.

The Mill Arts Centre, in Banbury, had expected to be closed until mid-April, but now say it'll be the end of June.

It was forced to close in February after flooding caused damage to the stage and floor.

Inspections revealed more extensive work was required to fix the damage, and prevent it from reoccurring.

Alternative arrangements for events in the auditorium will be made, the theatre said.

It said: "As you can imagine, we are devastated. Live performance is our lifeblood, and we are working as hard as we can to resolve the issue so that we can welcome audiences back through our doors."

"We are working hard to either relocate or reschedule the affected events so that as many of the planned performances as possible can go ahead."

The theatre sits on a narrow piece of land in the town centre, between the Oxford Canal and River Cherwell.

That means it is particularly susceptible to flooding during periods of heavy rain, such as those at the start of this year.

Andrew Lister, chief executive of The Mill, said: "Our auditorium may be temporarily out of action, but we will be doing everything we can to go ahead with as many of the affected shows as possible, albeit at a different time or place."

"Furthermore we are working closely with our landlords to ensure that we have the auditorium back up and running so we can welcome audiences back through our doors and enjoying live performance again just as soon as possible."

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