Positive news for Theatre at Risk Harlequin Theatre & Cinema

We welcome the news that Reigate and Banstead Council has confirmed that it will allocate £10m towards the rebuild of the Harlequin Theatre & Cinema.

The Harlequin Theatre & Cinema closed due to ‘crumbling’ concrete RAAC in September 2023 and has remained shut. Theatres Trust has been in regular contact with the council, offering advice including sharing details of other theatres dealing with the same issue.

We added The Harlequin Theatre & Cinema to our Theatres at Risk Register 2025, launched on 28 January, due to the uncertainty about its future and to keep the issue on the agenda for decision-makers. This was the focus of a piece on BBC Four’s Today show featuring Theatres Trust’s Director Joshua McTaggart and singer Chesney Hawkes, who had performed in panto at the theatre.

The money awarded towards the rebuild of the theatre is positive news, however the project is at very early stages and the timescale for the eventual reopening of the venue still unknown and likely to be several years. We understand that a report setting out process and timescales will be presented to the council in June 2025.

The news that the council will also be exploring the option of building a 200-seat venue in the Redhill while the main theatre is being rebuilt is further welcomed news. A report outlining the feasibility of the project will be presented to the council in June. It is critical for the local community that the area is not left without a theatre space while work is being undertaken at the Harlequin.

The above are vital steps towards reestablishing arts and cultural provision within Redhill and to seeing a much-loved local community theatre reopened. This is a positive move by the council and Theatres Trust will continue to support the council in progressing these works and to seeing The Harlequin Theatre & Cinema reopened.