BRITAIN’S first and only remaining permanent purpose-built puppet theatre, based in Conwy County, is facing a bleak future unless it can re-open its doors soon.

As with all other theatres across the UK currently, the Halrequin Puppet Theatre in Rhos-on-Sea is currently closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

It is now part of a national initiative launched by Theatres Trust to prevent the permanent closure of hundreds of UK theatres.

Built in 1958, the theatre was opened by the late Eric Bramall, who died in 1996, and is has been run by Chris Somerville (below), ever since.

North Wales Pioneer:

Despite the steady decline of the British seaside holiday, and the general shrinkage of theatre-going The Harlequin still has a loyal family audience who continue to enjoy shows which delight the adults and enthrall the children.

Now unable to open up again due to the pandemic, the theatre is facing permanent closure, due to it having always been funded by the theatre ticket sales together with the fees from other puppetry work by Mr Bramall and Mr Somerville.

Mr Somerville, now in his eighties and originally from Yorkshire, moved to Wales as a boy and has lived here ever since. He no longer has a theatre income nor can he subsidise the theatre from his out of season children’s entertainment work which also been curtailed due to Coronavirus.

And, despite generous help from friends and well-wishers, what savings Mr Somerville had were eaten up by supporting the theatre following the arson attack in 2017 which kept it closed for six months.

And, as the only survivor of the original team he is classed as a sole trader, cannot access any of the Government funding allocated for Theatre and the Arts, and being of pensionable age, he cannot access Government help for the self employed either.

North Wales Pioneer:

A fundraiser page in support of Harlequin Puppet Theatre has collected nearly £4000, but Mr Somerville says he’s still concerned by the ‘terrible’ prospect of losing the theatre forever.

He said: “The initial target of £3,000 should keep the theatre afloat until Christmas. However, it may be too optimistic to anticipate The Welsh Assembly allowing theatres to reopen in time for a pantomime, in which case further funding will be needed to keep afloat.

“These donations will be used to maintain the fabric of the theatre and grounds, and pay the continuing costs of licencing, insurance and so on.

“Theatres saw their main source of income disappear in an instant when they closed in March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Six months later, we still don’t know when they will be able to reopen fully. This ongoing uncertainty puts theatres in a perilous situation.”.

The theatre was built when the British Seaside was most people’s holiday of choice and the North Wales coast was a favourite destination for many factory workers of the industrial Midlands and the North.

Nowadays, out of season, North Wales has quite a small resident population, nevertheless the Harlequin have built up a healthy audience for its shows when they open for the school holidays in February, May, August, October and at Easter and Christmas, and their repertoire allows us to change the show for each holiday.

In between theatre seasons, Mr Somerville subsidises the box office takings by attending schools with Puppet and Punch & Judy Workshops, as well as performing at Fundays, Fetes and Galas.

Mr Somerville has been involved with the Harlequin Puppet Theatre since it first opened in 1958 and says it is ‘his whole life’.

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PIC: Puppets; Scaramouche, The Grand Turk and Mr Delerium T are all more than one hundred years old.

He said: “The Harlequin is my playground, my office, it’s my everything. I first got involved when I was on disembarkment leave from National Service and it got to the point where I would spend everyday at the theatre from there on out.

“I became very good friends with Eric and we’d do countless shows featuring thousands of puppets in the Llandudno and Colwyn bay areas, among others.

“I’ve been surprised by the level of donations made to our cause so far, but it is very much appreciated.

“It has become a tradition to open the Puppet Theatre on Boxing Day with our pantomime. I had planned to do 'Aladdin' this year. But things are changing so rapidly and are less hopeful than even a few weeks ago, enthusiasm must be tempered by realism and so now I am setting my sights on opening for the February Half Term of 2021, perhaps opening with The Grand Puppet Circus."

To donate to this cause, visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/firstpuppettheatre