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It had been run as a commercial venture since 2005.

The Art Deco theatre based on the former Cannon cinema in Abington Square in Northampton has announced its closure in the face of stiff competition from the Royal Theatre and Derngate.

John Campbell from the Jesus Army Charitable Trust, which is responsible for the building, explained how The Deco reached crisis point:

The venue is claiming that it has failed to be financially viable.

The Jesus centre is unaffected by the closure and will continue operating in the building, the auditorium of which is also used for the Jesus Army's large weekend meetings.

*Ticket-holders for cancelled shows should receive a refund within the next 14 days.

BBC Radio Northampton spoke to John Campbell from the Jesus Army Charitable Trust, which is responsible for the building.

Firstly, he explained how The Deco reached crisis point:

He then explained how The Deco has sited that stiff competition from the Royal & Derngate theatres didn't help, although the times of the refurbishment of the R & D didn't result in much head to head competition:

He then went on to discuss how the Jesus Army have taken the news, and what they hope will happen to the site in the future:

Finally, with the futures of the Royal & Derngate theatres in the balance, and now the closure of The Deco, John explained whether it was the fact that there's simply not enough room for two theatres in Northampton: