New owner and operator for Theatr Ardudwy

Theatres Trust welcomes the news that the sale of the Theatre at Risk has completed and that the theatre is to be reopened.

The future for Theatr Ardudwy is looking hopeful after confirmation that the theatre and associated Coleg Harlech have been sold to a new private owner. The theatre has been leased to production company KMD Productions Ltd and sister company Ignite Live UK who are planning to reopen the theatre later this summer.

Theatres Trust was contacted by the new owner last year to discuss the building and the opportunities that it presented prior to the sale. We have been cautiously optimistic about the building’s future course since our initial conversations which indicated the owner’s ambitions for both Coleg Harlech and theatre to be community-focused with the intention of reopening and restoring. Since this time, we have been providing them with both building and operational advice.

The Brutalist Grade II* listed theatre, which is based on the design of a Greek amphitheatre but formed in concrete with a steel frame, has been on our Theatres at Risk Register since 2019. It has had a rocky journey over the years, with closure forced through structural concerns in 2016 followed by a sale of the site which then left the theatre and college building vacant and extremely vulnerable for several years.

We look forward to seeing the plans for both the proposed building works and the new theatre programme and to working with both owner and operator in the future.

 Photo credit: Theatre Ardudwy, Brinkstock/Alamy Stock