A West Cumbrian theatre has been dealt a devastating blow after a fire in its technical department destroyed a lot of its equipment.
Neighbours of the Carnegie Theatre in Workington raised the alarm this morning and firefighters arrived quickly to tackle the blaze.
The theatre – which is a charity and run by a board of trustees – is still assessing the amount of damage caused.
Lee Martin-White, trustees chairman, said: “It is a devastating blow for us given that we’re still seeing, as you’d expect, significantly lower audience numbers return to the theatre due to nervousness around COVID-19.
“So not only is our future not yet secure but we will also now have to raise funds to replace vital equipment we need in the theatre.
“We would also like to say a big thank you to our neighbours who raised the alarm and to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for attending so swiftly – it could have been far worse.
“Please be assured should we need to make changes to our planned schedule we will be in touch.
“We’re very grateful for everyone’s concern and well wishes today.
“Sadly the technical workshop and its contents have seen better days. We’re off to dust ourselves down and rebuild. This show doesn’t stop.”
