Kneehigh to close down after 40 years

Kneehigh Theatre has confirmed it is closing permanently after 40 years and has begun the process of winding up its operations.

Earlier this year, the Cornwall-based touring company hinted at an uncertain future following the departure of its founder and artistic director Mike Shepherd, when it said it would “carefully consider” its next move.

A statement from the company has confirmed that it has ceased operations and hopes to close the company “in as short a timeframe as possible”.

This means some planned work, including Kneehigh’s season at its Cornwall performance space the Asylum, will not take place.

“Recent changes in artistic leadership raised questions as to whether Kneehigh could sustain its vision going forward. The Trustees and company reflected on a possible new future but concluded that it was better and more responsible to close Kneehigh and ensure an orderly wind-down,” the statement said.

The company was awarded £250,000 from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund last October, and said it had also received recent support from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Coastal Communities Fund, Cornwall Council and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

It has not confirmed whether it has delivered on all the projects it was funded to carry out, but according to its website, the company is “solvent and can meet all its obligations”.

Kneehigh chair Hedda Archbold said: “The board wants to acknowledge that this is a difficult time for the Kneehigh team. We want to thank them for the excellent work they have done and pay tribute to their passion and commitment to Kneehigh.

“Last Saturday, the brilliant Random Acts of Art had its final performance. The project has been a high point on which to end. These bold, playful, humorous and thought-provoking creative works brought together dozens of collaborators all across Cornwall, and delighted audiences out and about as well as online. Eclectic, anarchic, inspiring and inclusive, it embodied the spirit of Kneehigh we have loved for the past 40 glorious years. Despite the challenges of the past year, it has been an incredible journey filled with joy and delight.”

Kneehigh was founded by Shepherd in 1980 and has toured nationally and internationally but maintained a rehearsal and performance base in Cornwall.