Recently Oldham Council announced that Oldham Coliseum will re-open in time for Panto 2025.
The much-loved theatre has been at the heart of Oldham for almost 140 years – and the news that it will be brought back to life has been welcomed by thousands of people.
Speaking to a packed Fairbottom Street, where the community had gathered for a celebration event, Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of the Council, said: “We are working together for the future of theatre in this town. It’s a big part of our plans – putting culture at the centre of transforming our town centre and creating a better Oldham for everyone.”
The building’s heritage and history means it has a special place in the hearts of people from across Oldham and beyond.
Although it closed its doors last March, the Oldham Coliseum Theatre charity continued to present a programme of live theatre and performance at different spaces in the town.
At the same time, Oldham Local Studies and Archives began working to preserve the rich history and memories inspired by the performances and experiences within the walls of the Coliseum.
After a successful bid to The National Archive Records at Risk fund, we have been working to digitise and preserve every aspect of the Coliseum’s history, from its inaugural productions.
Staff at Oldham Coliseum worked hard to ensure that no records were lost and staff at Oldham Local Studies and Archives worked hard to package and transfer the records.
Through meticulous documentation of programmes, photographs, scripts, and more, we have created a comprehensive digital archive that will serve as a testament to the impact that the Coliseum has – and will continue to have – on Oldham.
Our vast archive honours the stories and memories of those who have graced the Coliseum’s stage, back of house, and audience.
It celebrates the countless hours of hard work and dedication put forth by actors, directors, crew, and volunteers.
We have already catalogued the physical material from the Coliseum’s many years of operation and are currently in the middle of cataloguing our born-digital collection. Born-digital records are created in a digital format such as photographs, word processing files, spreadsheets and emails. These records feature much of the extensive, behind the scenes, planning work that has gone into productions at the Coliseum since 2004.
Once these have been completed, the Coliseum collection will be available for visitors to search through and use at their leisure.
This project, Capturing the Coliseum, ensures that the history of the Coliseum remains as bright and visible as its future.
Kate Wilson
Digital Archivist for Capturing the Coliseum
