Storyhouse is in a Fight for Survival

It’s time for the next chapter of our story. Storyhouse is needed more than ever – as a beacon of hope, to cheer us up and for the certain return of good times.

We are one of over 500 registered charities that run theatres. Two thirds of them expect to be out of business by Christmas. And it’s easy to see why as putting productions on stage is proving impossible for many. Unless something changes soon, Storyhouse will be similarly be at risk of closure.

In June we announced the postponement of Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, our charity’s biggest project and which accounts for one fifth of our total ticket turnover for the year.

Undaunted, we re-opened Storyhouse on 4 July – the country’s first theatre, cinema and library to do so, and have been operating safely since. We’ve created a new drive-in cinema and re-opened our open-air cinema Moonlight Flicks as well. Our new membership programme, Storyhouse Card, has seen nearly 4,000 flock to the cause.

After that we built a smaller Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre again and opened (within two weeks) with The Comedy of Errors on 8 August, because we think it’s time for theatres to re-open to serve their communities wherever they can. We sold all 5,200 tickets in two weeks and had a lovely, slightly emotional summer in the park.

However, we’re not safe, in fact a long way from it, the situation is getting worse and the fight to save Storyhouse has only just begun. We’re operating at 20% of capacity.

As a charity, we take no profit: every £1 we earn is spent on making a difference in our community. We earn over three quarters of our income from trading and it costs over £200k a month to keep Storyhouse open. We’re not downhearted, we’ve had great help so far and we’ve got some wonderful friends.

We’ve just launched a Christmas show, possibly to the only one in the north west. Our sleeves are rolled up and we’re not just ready for the challenge, we are right in the thick of it.

There are four ways you can help us now. Please do.

• • Become a member. We’re launching the Storyhouse Card, packed full of benefits for members. Streaming membership with no commitment is just £4 per month. It will help us get back on the road right now, and will give you some really super privileges too.

• • Donate. A small regular monthly donation is the easiest way to support us, it’s a simple, easily managed process.

• • Volunteer. If you’d ever thought about joining our amazing army of volunteers, now is the moment. We need you more ever.

• • Pay it Forward. . One of the best ways to help (and the most joyful for both of us) is to buy a ticket for a Storyhouse Originals show.  These are our home-produced shows, and our charity retains 100% of income. We’ll be posting details of new shows as soon as they come on line. In the meantime, you could buy yourself or a friend a gift voucher.

We need your help – but with your support, we’ll emerge even stronger.

Thank you and we can’t wait to see you soon!