Scarborough’s Futurist Theatre closes as saviour is sought

Scarborough’s historic Futurist Theatre has closed its doors and is being boarded up.
The Futurist Theatre, ScarboroughThe Futurist Theatre, Scarborough
The Futurist Theatre, Scarborough

The Futurist Theatre, which was once one of the best known seaside venues in the country, playing host to names such as the Beatles, has been facing its final curtain for some time after council bosses warned it was “unsustainable” and, together with the surrounding area, suitable for redevelopment.

In December the council agreed to temporarily close the venue and board it up and that if another operator could not be found within three months it would be shut down for good.

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More than 4,000 people signed a petition urging council chiefs to save the historic venue.

But the lease for the operation of the Futurist Theatre in Scarborough came to an end on Sunday and the theatre closed its doors after the final showing of the blockbuster movie Hobbit: The Legend of Smaug.

The date of the termination of the operator’s lease was agreed on December 13 by Coun Tom Fox, the Leader of Scarborough Borough Council, after all attempts to secure an alternative operator were exhausted and a proposal by the most recent operator to run the theatre during 2014 on a management fee basis was refused.

Coun Fox said he was not willing to place such a high level of financial risk on the council.

Workmen began boarding up the theatre yesterday and the three-month countdown for an alternative operator to come forward has begun.