(l-r): Dave Watmore, General Manager of The Hawth; Councillor Lenny Walker, Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture at Crawley Borough Council; Matthew Roberts, Regional Director for the South East at Parkwood Leisure
Crawley Borough Council handed over the management of The Hawth to Parkwood Leisure on 1 February.
Parkwood Leisure was chosen to operate the arts centre on a 10-year contract in December 2011 and was handed the keys last week.
The company will improve the theatre and the new contract will save taxpayers £2.53m over 10 years. They propose a number of improvements to the bars and catering service at The Hawth, including extending the pre-show menu, improving the offer in the Spotlight Room to cater for parties and functions, and providing a shared box office and cafe reception point in the main foyer.
Parkwood Leisure will also maintain the current programme of events for the 855-seat auditorium, 146-seat Hawth Studio and Amphitheatre.
The council continues to subsidise The Hawth, at a lower level compared to it being run in-house.
The Community Arts Team is still based at The Hawth and the staff continue to be employed by the council. The council continues to provide support to the current programme of festivals.
Parkwood Leisure has a 10-year contract to manage the Playhouse Theatre and Winter Gardens complex in Weston-Super-Mare and a number of other venues ranging from multi-purpose entertainment facilities to smaller community theatres.
Councillor Lenny Walker, Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, said: “I’m confident that Parkwood Leisure will provide continued improvements in service quality at The Hawth over the duration of the contract, which new and existing customers will appreciate.
“I’d like to congratulate Parkwood Leisure on taking over the management of The Hawth and look forward to working with them. I would also like to thank the staff and councillors for their contributions throughout the process.”
Andrew Holt, Chief Executive of Parkwood Leisure, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract by Crawley Borough Council and look forward to operating the Hawth Theatre complex on behalf of the authority.
“Parkwood Leisure delivers a diverse range of cultural activities and events across the 83 leisure facilities operated by the company, including the Playhouse Theatre in Weston-Super-Mare and Court Gardens in Marlow.
“The Parkwood Community Leisure Team is committed to working closely with the existing staff at The Hawth to ensure that the excellent venue continues to provide a first class programme of performing arts and cultural activities for the local communities within the borough and also the south east region.”
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