A LEADING touring theatre company has warned looming council budget cuts mean it may be unable to put its shows on in the Vale of White Horse.

Oxfordshire Theatre Company performs to more than 1,000 people annually in the Vale.

The company traditionally takes its productions to rural village halls to entertain people who have little access to live shows.

The charity, which is currently touring with Peach Boy: The Adventures of Momotaro, is given £9,052 a year by Vale of White Horse District Council, which subsidises up to 60 per cent of performance costs and keeps ticket prices at an average £8.

But the council proposes to axe all funding to the county’s leading touring rural theatre company from April.

The theatre company has warned ticket prices will double or the company would not be able to visit the Vale at all.

Administrative director Louise Wiggins said: “We would no longer be able to subsidise performances for our venue promoters in the Vale, most of whom are volunteers running small village halls with little budget themselves. “ She warned the troupe would be unable to honour bookings in the Vale for performances of Alice In Wonderland between November 2010 and February 2011.

Paul Armishaw, who books productions for Uffington’s Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, said audiences of 100 people regularly attended the company’s productions.

He added: ” Living in a remote village, it is vital to have local events for the community. Oxfordshire Theatre Company has been part of the community calendar for years. I used to take my daughter when she was young, and now she is 38.

“The impact of no longer being able to afford to bring this company to the village would be huge.”

Upton Village Hall promoter Jessie West said: “Having lost our school, shop and post office and with no evening bus service it is unthinkable we should lose the chance to enjoy quality theatre, also through lack of funding.”

Council deputy leader Jerry Patterson said: “Due to the challenging financial situation we face we have had to make some very hard, and in many cases, unpleasant decisions. The very simple fact is that without acting now we would face an extremely uncertain future.”

The budget is open to consultation before a decision is made in February.