A lack of funds has left a north Pembrokeshire theatre in a ‘critical situation,’ campaigners say.

Friends of Theatr Gwaun previously thought there was sufficient funding to take the theatre into 2011.

It now appears there is only enough cash to keep it open until the end of the year. The situation has piled the pressure on the Friends, who are fighting to keep the venue open for the local community, and aim to show that the theatre could be run sustainably.

They are now calling for an urgent meeting to discuss how the friends could work with Pembrokeshire County Council to secure a viable business model. Friends of Theatr Gwaun chairman Jill Edge said: “The situation is now critical. Time is rapidly running out and if we are to put forward a realistic way of showing how we might secure the long-term success of the theatre, we need a degree of co-operation and goodwill.”

A council spokesman said the council was happy to discuss the group’s proposals.

He said: “Funding for Theatr Gwaun has not been slashed. The budget was set in January and has not been altered since.”

The spokesman added: “Over the past few years, the council taxpayers of Pembrokeshire have had to subsidise the cost of running a theatre in Fishguard.

“Despite strenuous efforts to provide programmes of interest, visitor levels remain small in number.”

Friends of Theatr Gwaun plans to separate the theatre’s management into promotion and programming of events and management of the building itself. The group believes that even in its present state, the theatre could be attracting a wider audience with imaginative programming and a more flexible approach, including the use of volunteers.

anwen.humfrey@ westerntelegraph.co.uk