Coliseum won’t reopen until 2026

The Oldham Coliseum Theatre won’t be reopening for Panto Season 2025, the council has confirmed.

The much-loved venue on Fairbottom Street is currently undergoing a £10m refurbishment and was supposed to reopen in December this year. 

But unexpected extra works could delay the theatre’s long-expected return until well into 2026, a spokesperson has confirmed. 

The 135-year-old theatre shut down amidst a public outcry in March 2023, after Arts Council England withdrew its funding because of concerns over the theatre management. After a ferocious grassroots campaign to ‘Save the Coliseum’ at its Fairbottom site, the council U-turned on plans to replace it with a brand new building and pledged a £10m spend to reopen the Coliseum ‘in time for Panto Season 2025’. 

Contractors Tilbury Douglas started work on the theatre earlier this year. But due to extensive works to remove asbestos from the walls and roof, the council decided to postpone the reopening, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands. 

Council leader Arooj Shah said: “It’s disappointing not to be reopening the Fairbottom Street building for Panto 2025 as it’s such a special part of Oldham’s festive season, but unexpected bumps in the road often happen with a project of this scale. 

“Rather than rush to open before the building is ready, our decision to extend the construction period gives us the time needed to get the details absolutely right. 

“We owe it to everyone, the artists, staff, and most importantly our audiences, to get this right. This is about securing a bright and sustainable future for theatre in Oldham and building something that will serve our community for generations. I can’t wait to open the doors in 2026.” 

Martina Murphy, CEO of the Oldham Coliseum Theatre’s production house, said she was ‘gutted’ by the delay, but is confident the theatre will be ‘back with a bang’ in 2026. 

And Hesmondhalgh, who is also a leading member of the Friends of Oldham Coliseum, said: “The Friends of the Coliseum are relieved and happy that plans to mount the Coli panto this year have been put on hold. Better to return with a beautiful, bold and glittering bang than do something half-baked in a building that isn’t yet ready.” 

A council spokesperson confirmed that the refurbishment programme is ‘still on budget’ and are ‘confident’ the works will be completed by Panto 2026. 

Oldham Coliseum’s ‘nomadic’ production house will still be putting on shows around the borough in the meantime.