Actors urge Nottingham to save student-run theatre

Actors and broadcasters have launched a campaign to save a famed student-run theatre at the University of Nottingham, after the institution said it would not reopen as a result of financial pressures. 

The Nottingham New Theatre, which is entirely student-run and opened in 1969, closed in 2023 because of mould issues. The university estimates that repairs would cost £2 million and has ruled out restoring the site.

A star-studded group has launched a campaign, led by BBC broadcaster and podcast host Matthew Bannister, to save the theatre.

Among those supporting the drive are Ruth Wilson, known for her roles in Jane Eyre and Luther, Theo James, who starred in The Gentlemen and White Lotus, and Slow Horses actor Rosalind Eleazar, as well as broadcaster Emma Barnett.

Known as the only entirely student-run theatre in England, the site hosted more than 30 plays a year, all directed, produced and organised by students across a range of disciplines. Many of the productions went on to the Edinburgh Fringe festival, while the theatre has helped launch several acting careers.

Bannister, an alumnus of the university and the Nottingham New Theatre, told Times Higher Education that discovering it had shut was “like learning that your home was being closed down”.

He discovered the closure after being invited to an event celebrating 100 years of drama at the university, only to find out that it was not being held in the prestigious venue. The theatre group is now operating from a temporary studio in the university’s student union building but lacks the specialist set-up found in the original building.

“Cambridge Footlights often gets a lot of publicity for the kind of people who went on to be famous performers but Nottingham should be up there too…[Nottingham New Theatre’s] tentacles spread out right across the industry,” said Bannister.

Golden Globe and Bafta-winning actor Wilson, who studied history at Nottingham and also holds an honorary doctorate from the university, said: “Without my time at Nottingham New Theatre I wouldn’t be where I am today”. 

She added: “That may sound like a grand statement but it was at NNT that I explored and nurtured my greatest passion, and what is university for, if not that?”. 

James, who has appeared in the likes of Divergent and Downton Abbey, said the theatre should be funded for “new generations of talented young people”, adding: “The freedom to create, perform and express myself in an environment run and beloved by students was formative.”

Bannister added: “It’s a terribly sad story that we’re seeing with people cutting investment in arts and humanities courses.” He said it was “short-sighted to be cutting back on facilities and on courses that might help people to train in those creative processes”, especially when artificial intelligence means that “human creativity is going to be the thing that is at a premium”. 

Although Bannister conceded that £2 million was “a lot of money”, he said it was a “relatively small investment” in relation to the wider university budget, and would mean “Nottingham would have a unique asset which would massively enhance its student experience and its attractiveness to future students”.

A University of Nottingham spokesperson said the institution was “incredibly proud” of the New Theatre’s “long history and its countless alumni, many of whom have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the creative arts”.

“We are very sorry that due to a combination of challenging factors, and the impact of Covid, the theatre’s previous home in an adapted building on University Park has become unsafe for use and has needed to be closed for the foreseeable future.

“The university, in line with the rest of the higher education sector, is facing unprecedented challenges and as a result we are having to make difficult decisions about where we focus our resources. When reviewing our university assets, we need to assess their contribution to our teaching and research activities and ensure they align with our core university priorities.”

The spokesperson added that access to alternative venues and technical support and mentoring had been provided for those wanting to get involved in theatre during their time at the university.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com