Theatres such as now-closed Oldham Coliseum vital for northern working-class people, says actor
Christopher Eccleston has said it would be impossible for him to become an actor in today’s world, in an impassioned interview after the closure of Oldham’s Coliseum theatre.
“The Oldham Coliseum is about 15 miles from where I was born and brought up. I went to see productions there as a child and I just think it’s tragic that Oldham and its borough is losing a theatre in a time where we’re supposed to be levelling up,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday. “Maxine, like me, wouldn’t be an actor without places like the Oldham Coliseum … Like me, I think it’s fair to say, she didn’t really feel she belonged in the arts.
He warned: “You’re going to have to put up with the unemployment – you’re gonna have to put up with the rejection – and that’s going to be doubled if you’re from a working-class background, ethnic minority etc.”Social media users praised Eccleston for drawing attention to the closure and stressing the negative effect it could have.