An action group made up of local performers has formed with the aim of keeping open an arts venue that has closed after the the charity that ran it closed amid financial problems.

Taunton Brewhouse, in the Somerset town, closed at the end of October after the Taunton Theatre Association announced it was to cease operating after “exhausting all possible alternatives”.

Following the decision several community performance groups in the area have come together to form The Brewhouse Community Trust, with the aim of reopening the venue.

Those involved include Taunton Thespians, The Taunton Association of Performing Arts, TAOS Musical Theatre, The Wayfarers, @2K, and Somerset Opera.

“The Trust is now engaged in bringing itself forward as a serious option to bid for the licence to operate the theatre,” it said.

"The Brewhouse has been at the core of live entertainment in the town for decades. People who saw shows as children have brought their own children, their own grandchildren, to see shows. It is too important an influence on the cultural life of Taunton to disappear, and if BCT have a say, it won’t be allowed to.”



The Trust is chaired by Mark Dawson and its vice-chair is Martin Lock.

It is finalising its governance structure and constitution and once fully established aims to negotiate with Somerset Council, which owns the property, to run the venue as well as engage with the local community and artists to “shape a vibrant future program”.

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