Coliseum our home from home

Colin Tomlinson and Joan Tomlinson have become the first patrons of Oldham Coliseum under the new Patron scheme.

KEEN theatre goers Joan and Colin Tomlinson have been unveiled as the Oldham Coliseum’s first ever patrons.

The Patron Scheme is for people who enjoy a special relationship with the Fairbottom Street theatre to invest in its work with an annual donation.

Joan, from Shaw, has been an active supporter of the Coliseum and its community work for over a decade and has been coming to see productions for the past 20 years.

She said: “I think it’s a wonderful thing, I really do. It’s the jewel in Oldham’s crown. If we didn’t have the Coliseum I don’t think the town would have an awful lot really. It gives children somewhere to go so that they’re not just bored out of their minds. With all the workshops the Coliseum does it gives them something to aim towards and it helps them build confidence.”

Joan is a member of the Coliseum’s Full Circle group and has starred in some of the group’s community productions, including the “Full Circle” pantomime in December and a show alongside drama students from Oldham College.

She added: “It gave them a different perspective of the elderly. I don’t think that they thought we could be so much fun.”

Calls

Joan is so involved with the theatre that Colin says he receives phone calls asking whether she is “in” or at “home”, with “home” being the Coliseum.

The couple are regular season ticket holders at the Coliseum, attending the majority of performances.

Joan said: “We like to see all the shows that are produced in-house. They’re all so different from each other.

“It really is a friendly theatre as well. I can come here on my own and I’m never bothered whereas at some of the bigger theatres you go and sometimes it feels cold — you just sit and watch it then come home.”

Oldham Coliseum’s Patron Scheme is for anyone who enjoys a special relationship with the theatre and wants to get even closer. Through becoming a patron of the theatre, individuals, couples and families can make a real difference to work done in the community and on the stage.

Anyone interested in learning more about the scheme can contact development manager John Edwards on 0161-624 2829.