Final curtain as Shrewsbury theatre closes

The Wightman Theatre opened four years ago after extensive renovations and has staged a huge number of events from musicals and drama to concerts, vegan fairs and poetry sessions.

Its space on Princess Street, in a former dance hall, has also been used to hold exhibitions, workshops and health and wellbeing days. There was also a popular Saturday lunchtime jazz session and local bands appeared.

But the director, Adrian Monahan has been suffering from ill health and has been unable to work on securing bookings and organise the day-to-day running of the theatre.

He said: “Due to a prolonged illness, I have been unable to maintain the necessary energy to keep the theatre going. Therefore, it is with great sadness and regret that I have made the decision to close.

"It will now be placed in the hands of the leaser. I would like to thank all of the performers, theatre groups, musicians, bands, organisations and volunteers who have supported us over the past five years. It was very much appreciated.

'A very hard decision'

"I have tried for a number of years to keep it going on my own but I have not been able to recently due to my ongoing illness and I have not been able to arrange the bookings. It was a very hard decision for me to make.”

There are no employee redundancies associated with the theatre’s closure and no forthcoming events that require ticket refunds.

The theatre originally opened as a Temperance Hall in 1863.

It was originally built by Julia Wightman who died in 1898. It then became the Wightman Working Man’s hall.

It was used as a pay office for the army in 1915 during World War One, and an army social club before it became the Shrewsbury Repertory Theatre in the 1940s.

It remained that until 1959 when the Dyas Brothers bought it but then it was mothballed until 1986 when it became an antiques centre.

The antiques centre was open until 2008 when it closed and has been left empty since until Adrian took it on.