A MAJOR city dramatic society said it fears it will be unable to use a new multi-million-pound theatre because it is missing important features for shows.

Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society hopes major plans to re-open the city’s historic Scala Theatre in Angel Place can be redrawn to include essentials such as an orchestra pit and more storage space it needs for putting on productions.

Concerns were also raised the important features had not been included from the beginning and are only being added ‘very late in the day.’

Michael Astles, chair of Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society, said he feared he would not be able to organise new productions at the revamped Scala Theatre in its current guise and was worried about the society’s future if its current home at the Swan Theatre closed for good.

“We want to be very positive, we want the new Scala to be a success but we’re just concerned that it was a fairly late stage when we were informed about all these facilities and we’re hoping that we can make a success of the Scala and carry on using it for our shows,” he told the policy and resources committee at a meeting in the Guildhall on September 6.

“For a lot of shows, the Scala will be very good but certainly for the type of shows we do, the Swan, for all the years we have complained about it getting old and needing a replacement, it does a lot of what we want.

“We have got concerns that if the Scala doesn’t turn out usable for us then what are we going to do?”

Worcester Theatres will move from its home at the city’s Swan Theatre to the soon-to-be regenerated Scala Theatre as part of multi-million-pound regeneration work by the city council.

The council said it is “continuing its dialogue” with the city’s arts community over the Swan Theatre’s future with a decision to be made once talks are over. “There were several things which we would like to see in the theatre that weren’t there.”

Mr Astles said facilities for storing large parts of scenery in the ‘wings’ of the theatre were “inadequate” and an essential ‘crossover corridor’ which allows the cast to move quickly from one side of the stage to the other was also not included.

Mr Astles added the council’s plans for important movable scaffolding around the stage for lights and scenery were “unclear” and the number of dressing rooms would also be ‘unworkable’ for some of the society’s larger shows which involve up to 70 children.

Councillors were also told about serious concerns that the narrow roads and pedestrian areas around Angel Place would be unsuitable for the “major logistics exercise” of fixing sets and removing sets after performances using a 40-foot lorry.

Cllr Pat Agar said the council needed to make sure it was building a theatre that was actually suitable for the people using it and “needed to be clear” on the future of the Swan Theatre.

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