COSTS for hiring The Courtyard main stage are set to rise, causing concern among local amateur companies.

The new price - £370 per performance plus 10% of gross box office takings - is "not unreasonable" according to the Hereford venue's chief executive, Martyn Green.

"The more successful the hiring company, the more The Courtyard will gain," he said. "The hire includes box office, technician and front of house staffing and is in line with what other venues are charging."

From April, companies will be charged a commission on top of the flat rate for the first time

Courtyard trustee Councillor June French said that the decision to increase hire charges had not been taken lightly.

"We look at everywhere we can to spread the cost of running a venue like The Courtyard, and understand the importance of providing community groups with the facility, which is heavily subsidised," she said.

The new charges will be reviewed in twelve months.

Herefordshire Council's annual support for the venue equates in real terms to £1000 per day.

Hereford Amateur Operatic Society

The new charging structure will add £1,100 to Hereford Amateur Operatic Society's bill for its fortnight's hire of the venue for its April production of The King & I.

"We had budgeted using previous charges as a guideline," said secretary George Powell.

Future productions will see cost-cutting measures on costume, set hire, and a reduction in rehearsal time, to keep the society afloat.

Passing costs on to the public is a route that the society had been forced to take, with ticket prices for The King & I increasing by 25% on last year.

"Without sponsorship we would not be able to perform at The Courtyard," said Mr Powell. "The society may have to consider performing one of its two annual shows elsewhere.

"We fought for a proper theatre to perform in - surely the lottery grant that funded it was meant for art for all?

"Amateur hiring must bring the venue in excess of £25,000 a year and I don't know how they'd plug that hole if everyone went elsewhere."

Hereford Gilbert & Sullivan Society

Hereford Gilbert & Sullivan Society, which performs at the theatre in March, has also been forced to increase ticket prices.

Although "very reluctant" to move from the venue, chairman John Mokler said it is an option that would have to be considered.

"It costs in the region of £20,000 to put on a show like The Merry Widow, and that takes a lot of recovering.

"We don't aim to make a profit but we need a small surplus in order to continue."

The first large company to be hit by the impending car parking charges, Mr Mokler feels the hire increase is "a bit of a double whammy".

Hereford Amateur Pantomime Society

Janet Williams, president of Hereford Amateur Pantomime Society and a Friend of the Courtyard, said HAPS would "have to go with whatever The Courtyard asks for, because there's no other option."

"The theatre was built for local societies not exclusively, obviously - but I understand that it has to be self-funding," she said.

The only local society to give a percentage of its profits to local charities, Mrs Williams said that HAPS may also have to look at its hiring time if costs were to keep rising.

With the cost of the Friends' subscription also increasing, she described the effect as "like swallowing a plum stone and not a cherry".

"It's all happened a bit quickly. But you're either with it, or you're not and I'll go with it every inch of the way because I love the place," she said.

As far as the smaller local amateur groups are concerned, the option of continuing to perform at The Courtyard is fading from view.

Magna

The chairman of Magna performing arts group, Betty Morris, said the increase had put the theatre out of the league of the average amateur group.

"We can't make a profit from using the Studio, and the main house is difficult to fill," she said. "With no help with marketing, the service doesn't warrant the fee and, although we enjoy a good rapport with the front of house and technical staff, we are often made to feel like poor cousins.

"Our members deserve the opportunity to work in a professional theatre."

The Hereford Players

David Newton, chairman of The Hereford Players and the One Act Play Festival, said he may have to look elsewhere because they do not have the option of increasing the cost of their tickets.