by Gerry Warren

Unforeseen costs have plunged the new Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury into the red in the first six months of operation, city councillors have been told.

The latest figures show the business has recorded a deficit of £236,000 since it opened last October which executive member for finance Cllr Peter Lee said was 'cause for concern'.

The theatre overspent its budget despite an increase in ticket sales over the old Marlowe.

Speaking to a council executive committee, Cllr Lee blamed increased start-up costs, extra staffing and training costs, discounted seat prices for those with restricted views and changes in the food offer for the problem.

He added: "It is cause for concern but not an on-going cause because many of the costs are one-offs.

"Attendances per show are up from an average of 710 to 954 so more people are coming to the theatre and we will leave it to officers to work to reduce the deficit."

Permanent posts at the theatre have gone from 33 to 41 and the casual staff pool has gone from around 40 to 80.

A report by the council's head of culture Janice McGuiness to the meeting predicted the Marlowe would still be showing a small overspend at the end of the year when all the staffing costs were calculated.

She said: "The Marlowe is a brand new business with an annual projected turnover of £10 million. Some management and operational issues could only be identified once the theatre had begun to operate.

"Several of these relating to the management and staffing of the new theatre were identified in the autumn and changes made.

"The theatre director took further action in January to curtail expenditure. The opening hours and menu style of the Riverside restaurant have been reviewed in light of customer demand."

After the meeting she added: "We are certain now that things are settling down, and once the theatre gets a full year of operation behind it, this will be a great long term success story for Canterbury."