Hull Truck decides its show must go on despite big cuts

Hull Truck Theatre, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, lost a third of its annual funding from Hull Council yesterday, which itself is facing multi-million pound cuts.

Chief executive Andrew Smaje said: "It is not as bad as it could have been. We have to knuckle down. It's going to be tough but if there's one thing that the company has proved in the past and can prove again is that it's tough and robust and has a real relationship with audiences."

Mr Smaje said it would continue with the planned spring programme, which has been tailored to suit the times. Instead of producing six plays the company is producing three and co-producing two others with other theatres to share costs.

He added: "It's a really important year for us to get what we do on our stage right and for audiences to come back to Hull Truck and really discover what the company is really about."

In addition to the 100,000 cut the theatre, which opened at its new home on Ferensway 18 months ago, has also lost 40,000 in Arts Council funding, leaving it with around 800,000 in public funding, which amounts to around 30 per cent of its turnover.

Hull Truck board member and Liberal Democrat Cabinet member Coun Rick Welton said: "The original suggestion was 150,000 and we have managed to reduce it to 100,000. Given the quality of the new management in there with Andrew Smaje, I think we have a fighting chance of cutting our cloth to make it fits its budget."

He added: "They will have to look at the type of production, the number of actors, the amount they spend on sets and designs but it doesn't necessarily mean you get a lesser production. It is not always about spending a lot."

Labour councillor Phil Webster said: "I don't believe for one second it will kill them off. They have to cut their cloth accordingly, as we as a city council are having to do."