Workington’s Theatre Royal has been targeted by vandals.
The theatre, on Washington Street, was broken into earlier this week, and vandals rampaged through its bar area, breaking fridges.
Technical gear is also either missing or broken.
In a post on Facebook, the theatre said: “Our beloved theatre was broken into and terribly vandalised. I know this information will come as a shock to you.
“We have had to keep it under wraps while the police investigation was ongoing.
“There is a lot of damage as the fridges in the bar area were smashed and valuable technical equipment is broken or missing. The theatre is a heart of this community and this act is an appalling crime against all of us and we are deeply saddened.
“The theatre was already struggling and this crime will put us even further back so we are asking for your support. Without you there will be no Theatre Royal.”
The Theatre Royal has been a part of the Workington community since the 1860s.
It has asked the community to rally round and help it to continue to survive by buying a ticket to next week’s show or donating directly at https://buy.stripe.com/dR6cNIbmq42OdLaeUU
People can also become a friend of the theatre for £10 a year.
