Clacton-on-Sea

The West Cliff Theatre is governed by a charitable Trust whose origins date back to 1984. At that time the theatre was owned by Tendring District Council (TDC) but was only open during the summer for the Summer Show plus a pantomime put on by the Clacton Amateur Operatic Society (CAOS) and three plays a year by the Clacton Amateur Dramatic Society (CADS). Because of this there was some criticism that ratepayers’ money was being wasted keeping a theatre going for just four months a year and there was a very real possibility that TDC was about to close it down. In view of this threat, two prominent members of CAOS, Mike Freeman and Peter Anselmi, formed a group, the Tendring Theatre Association (TTA), to rally public opinion and put pressure on the council to keep it open.

The TTA approached the council with plans for making use of the theatre all year round and to become more involved with the day-to-day running of the theatre. TDC agreed and a Trust (six members from the TTA and three from the Council) was formed to take over the running of the Theatre.

After nearly ten years of showing that it could run the West Cliff successfully, the Trust offered to buy the freehold of the theatre. Tendring District Council agreed on the condition that they (the Council) continue to run the Summer Season. And so, in 1995, the West Cliff (Tendring) Trust became the new freeholders and outright owners of the theatre.