ELAINE O’Flynn’s report (August 21) and front page headline is entitled “£6.5m revamp for the town’s Albert Halls” - but the artist’s impression appears to be of the ground floor of the town hall and not the Albert Halls which are on two separate upper floors.
There is no impression of what the halls will look like.
Malcolm Cox, director of environmental services at Bolton Council says that the upgrading of the halls will make it more like what you would expect when you go into a high quality entertainment venue.
The theatre hall, however, will still not be able to attract top quality shows unless the seating capacity is increased.
A few years ago an excellent small international opera company of up and coming singers which tours Europe, including the UK, appeared at the hall.
They never came again and when I queried why, the company said that since they were a non-profit making company, the income from ticket sales was insufficient to cover their costs for the visit despite the fact that the hall was full.
I queried this with the manager of the halls at the time and he said that the council would not subsidise another visit.
If the council aspires to bring top class entertainment to the venue, it needs to re-think their plans for the theatre hall.
Finally, may I say that the name “Albert Halls” should be dropped and both halls renamed to clearly distinguish between the two.
R Swindells Bolton
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