UK theatre company confirms closure - open for 45 years

UK theatre company confirms closure - open for 45 yearsThe company was credited with 'bringing professional productions to village halls and rural venues' during its near half-century in operation. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Eleanor Burleigh 11:04, Thu, Jun 4, 2026 Updated: 11:05, Thu, Jun 4, 2026 The southwest England theatre company will cease operations in August (Image: Getty)A UK-based theatre company is set to shut after 45 years, citing "a challenging cultural and economic landscape". Forest Forge, a regional troupe based in Ringwood, Hampshire, has toured around southwest England staging productions and running community programmes over its nearly half-century in business. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) The firm, which was founded by Karl Hibbert in 1981, became a central part of the region's arts scene and was credited with bringing professional theatre to "village halls and rural venues". Lizanne Smith Head, chair of trustees at the company, confirmed this week that it will cease operations in August before formally closing in the autumn. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy PolicyShe told the Salisbury...