An award winning temporary theatre has been branded an “extraordinary success” despite racking up more heavy losses.
The temporary Orchard West Theatre in Hythe Street, Dartford posted a net loss of £755,999 for the last financial year.
Its operator says it has encountered “several financial challenges” during the past twelve months, including increases in overheads such as the national minimum wage, as well as other inflationary costs.
But Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite has defended the venue which he says is “not operating in ideal circumstances” and is fulfilling an important and difficult role in keeping the “spirit and culture” of the town’s arts scene alive.
In September 2023, the original Orchard Theatre in Home Gardens was forced to close suddenly after it was found to contain potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
By December that year, the council built a temporary replacement, known as Orchard West, where all shows have been held since.
A meeting of Dartford council’s overview and scrutiny committee met on Tuesday (July 16) to run through the theatre’s annual report and latest accounts.
Tal Rosen, director of the Theatre, wrote: “Despite the challenges of relocation, Orchard West has been an extraordinary success.
“We were proud to receive national recognition, winning Innovation of the Year at The Stage Awards 2025 and Temporary Structure of the Year at the Festival Supplier Awards.”
The report details the theatre generates more than £5million for the local economy, and welcomed more than 95,000 customers to 173 performances across 2024 and 2025.
Of these, more than 55,000 of the tickets sold were to residents in the DA postcode, and the report states that despite the temporary structure, it has managed to retain 91% of its staff.
There are 18 permanent staff, and and 65 “casual team members.”
But the financials on the final page of the report show the theatre overall made a net loss of £755,999 – equivalent to 34% of its revenue.
The same report for the previous financial year, covering 2023-2024, shows the theatre lost much less proportionally: £353,423, equivalent to 14%.
In February Dartford Council approved an additional £10m in funding to repair the original Orchard Theatre, removing RAAC from it and making it safe to use again. It’s scheduled to reopen again next May.
The authority also gave £500,000 to Trafalgar Events who run the theatre to ensure they could continue hosting events.
Dartford council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said at the time it was a “no-brainer” and would still be cheaper than an entire rebuild job.
He says the temporary structure is not operating in “ideal circumstances” but is crucial to keeping the “spirit and culture” of the original Orchard alive.
Both that structure, and the temporary build, are a solid investment in the town’s future, he insists.
Commenting on the latest report, he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Arts and culture are very rarely profit centres for councils – if they were, councils wouldn’t need to be doing it the private sector would take it up.
“As a council you have to decide if culture and the arts are important, and in Dartford we have said they have a very large place.
“Dartford’s culture is a crucial part of our regeneration and if you get it right as in places like Folkestone it can be a major part of the economy.”
He stressed that part of the reason is the limitations of the new temporary structure.
“It’s not ideal as a venue – at the moment they can’t do big catering or the like,” he added.
What we’re doing is keeping the spirit and culture of the Orchard alive
“What we’re doing is keeping the spirit and culture of the Orchard alive, but they’re not operating in ideal circumstances – do I ever see them making a big big profit? No I don’t, it’s something you have to invest in.”
A spokesperson for the theatre said: “Whilst we are delighted with the audience and visitor numbers at our award-winning temporary venue Orchard West, we have encountered several financial challenges during the past twelve months including increases in overheads such as national minimum wage, as well as other inflationary costs.
“Against this backdrop, we are continuing to operate from Orchard West for an extended period, due to the delayed works at the Orchard Theatre, which is due for completion in 2026.”
The closure of the Dartford venue came after a tough period during the pandemic when – like many other live arts venues across the country – it was forced to shut for extended periods of time.
It was taken over by London-based Trafalgar Entertainment, who are also the operators of the Churchill Theatre in Bromley.
The deal was described at the time by theatre bosses as a “vote of confidence in the live theatre sector”.
