THEATREGOERS could be asked to pay an extra levy on top of their ticket prices to help raise funds for restoration work at an historic North-East theatre.

The £1 restoration levy on tickets at Darlington’s Civic Theatre has been proposed by Darlington Borough Council as part of a series of measures to bring the facility up to modern standards.

Experts warned last year that the theatre, one of the oldest in the region, was not fit for purpose and needed significant modernisation if it is to attract theatre companies in the future.

Among the issues facing the theatre are its accessibility problems for people with disabilities, a poor layout for customers waiting to get into the theatre, technical aspects backstage and sustainability.

The council is preparing a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, which could provide up to 90 per cent of the funds for the restoration work, but has proposed the £1 levy in a bid to raise £125,000 a year towards the costs.

If agreed by councillors the levy would be added to the cost of every ticket sold, not including dedicated children’s shows, from July and will form a separate fund for the works.

A booking fee on debit and credit card payments for tickets will be removed.

Other proposals about the future of the theatre include buying two units next to the theatre to extend its floor space and allow the main entrance to be moved back to Parkgate.

A report prepared for councillors said: “The vision for the project is to reinstate the theatre’s original Victorian splendour and at the same time meet modern-day standards.

“This can only be achieved by acquiring the additional space ensuring that the best possible project can be delivered within the resources available.

“Within the existing footprint of the Civic Theatre, it would not be possible to resolve the key issues and in fact, by trying to improve access issues, would actually reduce the usable internal space even further.

“By acquiring the additional shop units and bringing them into the footprint of the Civic Theatre will significantly enhance the refurbishment scheme, allowing the constraints to be addressed.”

Members of Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet will discuss the proposals at a meeting on Tuesday, June 4.