A BELOVED Bournemouth theatre which has been closed for more than two years due to Covid hopes to reopen in time for its panto next year.

The owners of the Shelley Theatre in Boscombe have spoken to the Daily Echo over their plans for the future of the venue.

Trustee Jon Dunne and venue manager Zoe Dunne made the decision to close the theatre in March 2020 as the pandemic hit.

Heartbreakingly, it was due to be their busiest year yet.

Now, they have shared why they have remained closed and their plans to reopen.

Originally built in 1866, The Shelley Theatre in Boscombe is the oldest surviving theatre in Bournemouth.

READ MORE: London Repertory Players call off Shelley Theatre plays amid coronavirus

The team initially thought they would be closed for a couple of months but 29 months later, they are still closed, leaving residents wondering what happened to the much-loved venue.

Zoe Dunne said: “During the pandemic, we had to cancel all of our services. Sanitary bins, services that we had for the bar, everything we've had to just shut down, including all the stuff, which was desperately sad.

Bournemouth Echo:

Jon said: “Socially distancing meant the number of people in the theatre would not have been financially viable. Anything that we would've made would've gone into cleaning costs. And we wouldn't be able to afford the shows, it would've been a financial disaster.”

“But what we managed to do is ensure the building is in one piece and hasn't been broken up. It hasn't been divested of and the whole venture is still a viable project.”

The pair planned to reopen the theatre in January this year, but a new wave of Covid-19 prevented this.

Zoe said: “We were going to reopen and have the pantomime in January this year but then Omicron hit. And since then, we've just been basically trying to find funding.

“As far as the opening is going, we are planning on reopening in January 2023 for the adult pantomime which has always been one of the biggest events of the year, such a fun, joyous kind of event and it’s great fun.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Making plans to reopen has raised a number of challenges for the family who say they ‘cannot afford to have a false start.’ They are currently looking for someone to help manage volunteers in a voluntary role which will eventually become paid.

Once this role is filled they will start building a register of volunteers.

Jon said: “The solution to get this place open is basically a hundred thousand pounds, That's actually what we need to get in the pot and that's purely ring fenced for staff funding.

“We’ve got this lead period of four to six months, in which we've got to fund a team, before we start getting the revenue in from the shows. And that's where our challenges are but it's doable. We can do it, I believe so.”

The theatre has currently got a few grants including from the National Lottery Community Fund and BCP Council and are hoping to start crowdfunding.

Work has been taking place in the building, with improvements to the volunteer recreation area and box office as well as other work.

Zoe said: “We want to be open. We're desperate to be open. We all love this building and we're very much looking forward to welcoming people back in it. It's really sad for us coming in and seeing it empty and not buzzing.”