Jersey Opera House Ltd has until the end of the month to secure its finances or it will most likely be forced to cease trading.
After spending a day at the Opera House on 11 May, Professor Michael Quine, a senior lecturer in cultural policy and management at London’s City University, concluded that the theatre can and should continue trading – with careful documentation underpinning risky decisions – as government funding is guaranteed for 2006 at least.
His statements are contained in a report commissioned, at no cost, by the Jersey Arts Trust for use in the political negotiations with the Education, Sport and Culture Committee over the theatre’s future.
It was intended that this report should be an internal document.
However, copies have been leaked to the media.
Education president Senator Mike Vibert said he was unable to comment on the report as it had not been shared with his committee officially.
However, he said that Education had put forward proposals for solving the Opera House’s financial problems to the theatre’s shareholders, the Jersey Arts Trust.
