White Rock Theatre Under New Management
The Guildhall Trust, a charitable foundation which has run the Portsmouth Guildhall since 2011, is set to take over management of the White Rock Theatre from the beginning of February as lessees of Hastings Borough Council (HBC).
Trafalgar Theatres, the operator of the flagship Hastings theatre for the past 15 years, is part of a national and international commercial entertainment empire with assets topping £100m. But its business model at the White Rock seems to have depended on receipt of substantial subsidies from HBC. Now that these have been withdrawn as part of general council cutbacks, Trafalgar is making for the exit, replaced by the Guildhall Trust.
This Trust, originally styled the Portsmouth Cultural Trust, was set up by Portsmouth City Council in 2010, for the specific task of running the Portsmouth Guildhall, which has a main auditorium with 2,000 seats – nearly double the capacity of the White Rock – and a new 170-seater studio. It is used for conferencing as well as concerts and theatre performances.
The Trust’s website proclaims that its “Core Purpose” is “to deliver inspirational opportunities so that people want to engage with culture and the creative economy.” Cllr Andy Batsford, HBC’s lead councillor for culture, has spoken enthusiastically of the Trust’s “exciting plans to take the [White Rock] theatre forward, and their experience shows they can deliver the vision we have”.
It seems that, at least in the short term, there’s unlikely to be a radical shift in programming policy. Guildhall CEO Andy Grays has a CV in theatre management with Apollo Leisure Group and Stoll Moss (owner of several theatres in London’s West End). The Portsmouth Guildhall’s programme in the run-up to Christmas highlights, besides a panto of Rapunzel, comedy from Sarah Millican, Steve Hall and Steve Willis; a night of pro wrestling and another of darts; two classical music concerts featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, tribute acts homaging Tina Turner, Duran Duran and Abba; and a series of party entertainments (all sold out) under the title Cirque de Guildhall.
By way of comparison Trafalgar will bow out from the White Rock in January with an “adult panto” entitled Beauty and the Big Beast; a tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; and an evening with Poirot actor David Suchet.
A spokesperson for Guildhall said last week, however, that they aim to balance a “strong commercial programme” with support for community initiatives including the traditional Hastings music festival and the International Piano Concerto competition in spring 2024.
A full initial programme is expected to be released within the next month.
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