Concern has been raised for the future of a Bury St Edmunds theatre after its annual electricity bill rocketed by £47,000.

Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds has seen its electricity bill increase by 134% after receiving a new bill for £82,000 per year going forward.

Artistic director of the Bury Theatre Royal, Owen Calvert-Lyons said receiving the new electricity bill was a "huge shock".

He added: "We used up most of our reserves trying to stay afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We could try to find that money from trusts and foundations, but many are struggling at the moment, too, so we'll have to ask the government to step in."

Mr Calvert-Lyons said that, while the increase was equivalent to the salaries of two employees, he would not be laying off any staff.

He added: "My staff worked so hard to bring the theatre back from the brink of closing during Covid, so I'm not going to be letting them go.

"I also won't be increasing ticket prices in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. We've tried so hard to bring audiences back after the pandemic, we don't want to drive them away now."

Mr Calvert-Lyons took over as artistic director of Theatre Royal in June 2020 when most staff had been furloughed and the theatre had already been closed for three months.

The theatre was only able to raise the curtain over a year later in May 2021 with a performance of 'Around the World in Eighty Days'.

Having already shown "huge resilience" in surviving the pandemic, Mr Calvert-Lyons said an increase in energy bills is the latest blow to the theatre industry.

The theatre's newest electricity bill is a two-year deal, meaning they will have to pay £90,000 until 2024.

They are also expecting an imminent increase to their gas bill which is due to be revisited in 2023.

Mr Calvert-Lyons added that he and his team will be working hard to ensure Theatre Royal can continue to remain open.