Debate contribution: Riverside Theatre at Ulster University, Coleraine

Debate contribution by Ms Sian Mulholland on 28 January 2025.

MLA

Ms Sian Mulholland

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

28 January 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Riverside Theatre at Ulster University, Coleraine

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4764282

Read the official Assembly record

Text

No? While the Riverside Theatre is not in my constituency of North Antrim, I am so much closer to it than to any other theatre. Over the years, I have been to so many plays, speeches and really interesting talks there as well as all sorts of artistic events. The panto is my family's firm favourite — I think that we saw 'Snow White' there. Riverside's accessibility, family-friendly nature and openness make it such an important venue. As the chair of the all-party group on the arts, I am acutely aware of the importance of having arts venues with accessible pricing structures for the events that they put on. For a lot of people, especially those living in the north coast area, the Riverside is their first interaction with the arts, regardless of the art form that they are going to see, because its events are so varied. In a world where creativity and cultural expression are so often overlooked, it is crucial that we recognise and celebrate the profound impact that places such as Riverside and the arts have on our communities, our economy and our collective well-being. As others have mentioned, the cultural heritage and legacy of Riverside is undeniable. It is Northern Ireland's oldest performing theatre outside Belfast, which is an incredible achievement, and I know that it has immense cultural significance for people on the north coast. I really valued Maurice Bradley's contribution about regional imbalance. We see that across the board, whether that is to do with our economy or our investment, and there is a regional imbalance in our arts infrastructure. The Riverside is an irreplaceable part of Northern Ireland's arts infrastructure. As part of the University of Ulster's Coleraine campus — I am sorry; I was a UU graduate, and it will never be Ulster University to me — the theatre plays a vital role in arts education and creative industries training. It is that open space where you can get real time on a stage, working behind the scenes and getting hands-on experience of industry skills. As well as that, as others have mentioned, it is a venue for schools and youth theatre productions. I did not get tickets for Ballywillan Drama Group's brilliant production of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' either, so I feel your pain, Claire. Is it not amazing that an amateur dramatic production can sell out such a huge run in a theatre that is so accessible? That is wonderful, and that is the joy of community arts in particular and venues such as Riverside. If it reduces its provision or closes, there will be no replacement of that nature. Limavady has the Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre, Ballymena has The Braid and Coleraine has the brilliant Flowerfield Arts Centre, but those are not of the same size and nature, and the Riverside is a very different venue. Any closure or reduction in provision would have a real impact on the local economy. In the years before I lived on the north coast, I travelled up, and, if a show was on, we would go out to dinner and make an evening of it. I am not the only one who did that. There are shows that bring people out of the Causeway Coast and Glens into the area, and that cannot be denied. The hospitality businesses benefit from the theatre audiences. For me, however, Riverside is not just a theatre but a community hub, whether for talks, community presentations or for screenings of important plays or consultations. My colleagues on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council have tabled a motion that will, hopefully, be heard next month. It will ask the council to reaffirm its position that the theatre should remain in operation as a valuable cultural asset in the borough and to agree to write to the university's vice chancellor and the Minister for the Economy to affirm its position and to seek urgent clarity. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and, before that, Coleraine Borough Council were supporting the theatre with a grant of up to £100,000. Technically speaking, that was to help with programme development and a third of its running costs. That shows that there was an investment from local government until 2021, when the vice chancellor stopped requesting the funding from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, which precipitated my colleague, Yvonne Boyle asking whether the university was still committed to the Riverside. That led us to the realisation that the vice chancellor was not reaffirming where the theatre's future was going to lie in the UU campus. I really appreciate, Maurice, your feedback on the options that were put to you. I was going to suggest, if all Members were agreeable, a cross-party delegation, because we are so much stronger when we come together and when, as a group, we are united in our support for the arts. I would appreciate that, if other Members are interested. I ask that the Minister for Communities considers what support he can give to the theatre. I know only too well that his budget is finite, much as we might wish that he had a blank chequebook, particularly when it comes to the arts. There is a limited offer there, so my ask would be primarily for the Minister for the Economy to engage with the university. In response to my question for written answer, he said that he had had no engagement with the vice chancellor up to that point. It is important that there is a cross-departmental approach because the Department for the Economy has a strong input to and oversight of the campus, whereas the arts offer, obviously, sits with you, Minister. As a cross-party delegation of people who are passionate about the arts and that particular arts infrastructure, we need to do all that we can to protect such a vital asset to the arts community but also to the Causeway coast and glens area. However, I am grateful to the Member for giving us this chance to talk about it.

1,012 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:55 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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