The Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre: A Chat with CEO John Rance
The Phoenix Cinema & Arts Centre (Phoenix) is a well-established Leicester arts brand that’s been around in the UK since 1963. Run by a charity, which was formed in 1987, the organisation previously ran a theatre on the opposite side of town before moving to their brand new building in 2009. Part of a regeneration project in Leicester’s nascent cultural quarter, the building now includes a four-screen cinema, an art gallery, a cafe, and various meeting spaces, all run by the Arts Centre. Residential accommodation and some small business units make up the rest of the space, creating a mixed-economy building.
When the building opened in 2009, its surroundings were run down, but the audience numbers in attendance steadily grew. In the following years up to around 2016-17, the centre was particularly busy, and peak times even saw queues form both within the venue and, indeed, out of the door for some shows. As CEO, John Rance, put it, “We were a victim of our own success and at times had to turn away business.”
In 2016, the centre carried out a strategic review after some positive market research showed that many more people in the local catchment area would have an interest in engaging with the Phoenix and that the audience they were currently attracting had the potential to double in size. Informal discussions commenced with the Phoenix’s main stakeholders, including Leicester City Council, who owned a plot of land directly next to the centre, and they gave the go-ahead for a feasibility study to potentially develop the building.
Where the Process Started
Between 2016-2022 plans were set in motion: many stages of designs were carried out, a business plan was put together, and money was raised from public funding sources, grants and private donations. It perhaps goes without saying that all investors into the project were keen to see careful and secure planning, with their investment going towards the public good. The main stakeholders were consulted, including Arts Council England, the local university DeMontfort University and British Film Institute (BFI). But it was Leicester City Council (LCC) who (almost literally) held the keys to the project as they are/were the landlords who own the current building that the arts centre has a long-term, 50 year lease with.
After a successful application to the Arts Council’s capital grant programme in 2016, the Phoenix was awarded £4 million - but it came with conditions and a process of convincing the Arts Council that the organisation was ready to receive and use the money. This funding, plus the rest that was raised from a variety of sources - including being one of the last organisations to receive money from the European Regional Development Fund - meant the project could continue, and the work was given the green light in 2021.
Most existing areas were refurbished, as well as the extension of the building. The cinema itself was formerly two screens, doubling to four - one with 220 seats, the other original screen with 120 seats and the latest two additions, each with 63 seats.
One of the key elements of the development was the extension of the cafe space. Rance was keen to express how important the cafe’s function is to the social and financial aspects of the Phoenix, so this aspect of the development has greatly enhanced the community and commercial side of things. The building now houses a multi-event space on the roof of the extension, which is often used to host boutique events, a roof terrace garden and bar.
A Small Team, A Big Investment
Rance sees the project as “a triumph of vision and persistence”, particularly given the (legitimate yet cumbersome) hurdles they faced along the way. And until the money arrived to pay for external consultants, there was a team of only three people working on the project, a challenge in itself given the sheer scale of what was being attempted
To give a sense of perspective, before COVID, in more “normal" times, the arts centre turned over £2 million. With the development project totalling £8 million, the sheer increase in funds and how to handle them from an SME perspective presented its own set of difficulties; ensuring all financial controls, planning, and cash flow were in order to start with.
The centre survived COVID and survived well but had to live with the uncertainty of what was to come along every step of the way. After being closed for 18 months, the organisation lost roughly £600k in trading, mainly due to the closed cinema and cafe function. Luckily, the centre had enough reserves to keep going throughout but with a reduced staff team. It was imperative, though, said Rance, that the development kept moving forward as it was a “beacon of hope” to the local community.
A Cinema-shaped Learning Curve
Despite the Phoenix previously being a theatre that incorporated a couple of cinema screenings into its old programme, when the organisation moved to the new building it faced a whole new transition to digital cinema and art. With this came a learning curve, and it took over a year, Rance estimates, to get into their stride with “modern-day” programming. But one notable success was the adoption of event cinema content - it very quickly attracted an audience and has been popular ever since.
Since the new building reopened and has been fully operational, Rance feels a real sense of joy when entering a now busy, buzzy building with the chefs able to cook properly and the locals able to enjoy it fully. He says, “It was a tough time, particularly for the management team but it looks great, and we often take small groups around it for a tour. Everyone’s been very impressed.” Rance compliments the high-quality finish that the centre has now, including Ferco seats for a boutique feel. He says,
“The seats are very comfortable and have their own drinks holders, which is complemented by extra legroom, feature lighting in the auditoria, and some lovely varying colour palettes. The overall effect creates a really special, destination experience.”
The Purpose Behind the Centre
As a charitable organisation the main goal of the Phoenix’s redevelopment was to future-proof the arts centre’s existence - and with an improved, extended space comes the chance to pull in as many new customers as possible, creating more value for the local area. Ultimately, if the centre’s income increases, the reliance on public funding decreases, a position Rance is keen to adopt as soon as possible.
Another key objective of the Phoenix is, of course, to engage and entertain those in its community. But it also seeks to educate, develop and support community cohesion via its wide-ranging programme of events, shows, and things to do. Hosting seemingly everything from cabarets to quiz nights, films & arts sessions to workshops for children requires space which the arts centre was starting to seriously lack as they outgrew the original building. The new site has not only addressed all this by adding more events spaces but by becoming a destination venue in itself, one that people want to spend time in. And judging by the reaction of the local community, it’s certainly done just that.
Byline: Helen Budge
