WATCH: 250 protestors call for reprieve for Coleraine's Riverside Theatre

Those were the words of Steven Miller who organised a protest on Tuesday, June 4, at the headquarters of Causeway Coast and Glens Council calling for a reprieve for the Riverside Theatre in Coleraine.

Local drama, dance and sporting groups gathered at Cloonavin to stage a peaceful, musical protest calling for action to save the theatre.

Organiser Steven Millar said: “They’re closing the Riverside Theatre with no consultation, no transparency, no real plan — and they’re hoping we’ll stay quiet. We won’t."

“This is your theatre. It was built with public money. It belongs to the people of this community — not a boardroom.

"We need our councillors and MLAs to speak up loud and clear. Ulster University, you cannot just shut this place down.

"You must come to the table on 15th June and discuss real alternatives. The Riverside has been a stage for creativity, connection, and care for over 40 years.

"If we stay silent, we lose it. If we show up, we give it a fighting chance.”

On Thursday, May 29, the university, on whose Coleraine campus the theatre is situated, confirmed that “Riverside Theatre operations will cease from August 2025”.

An Ulster University spokesperson said: “We remain focused on the University’s core purpose: to deliver high-quality teaching and impactful research across our multiple campuses; and in the face of unprecedented financial challenges, with the funding model in Northern Ireland acknowledged as unsustainable, it is more important than ever that we focus our resources on core academic activities.

"Having supported and delivered this civic asset for fifty years, the building itself has now come to the end of its life and requires significant capital investment to remain in use. This is estimated at £745,000 in the immediate term alone and is in addition to the annual running costs of £495,000.

"While we appreciate that this news will come as a disappointment to many, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the artists, audiences, staff, and supporters who have made the Riverside Theatre such a special place for so many years.

"Ulster University remains open to working with local partners and stakeholders to explore new ways to support arts and culture in the region, even as we navigate these constrained times.”

A spokesperson for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said: ”Council currently operates two vibrant Arts and Culture centres at a significant cost of almost £900k p.a. to the local ratepayer; one of these facilities is just two miles from the Riverside Theatre.

"Economically, the Council is one of the poorest in the Province and is effectively managing a wide range of services within extremely limited resources.

"Taking on the Riverside Theatre and its extensive repair bill and associated operating costs would have direct impact on the Council’s ability to invest in other projects, such as playparks or health and wellbeing facilities already committed to in the recently published Estates Strategy 2025 - 2030.”