Adventures in engineering

Yet more theatrical news, darling...

The two theatre companies which use the Emery Theatre, a small venue in Poplar (see previous post about The Mystery of Irma Vep), have just heard that their landlord has abruptly and with only about two weeks’ notice, cancelled their lease. As a result, the companies are now homeless, and all the accumulated equipment, scenery, props and costumes from twelve years’ worth of shows have to be removed from the theatre and stored elsewhere. It’s not clear why the landlord has made this decision – whether to run the theatre themselves, or to change its use to something completely different. For whatever reason, their tenants have not been treated with courtesy or consideration.

Keith and Lynn, who are in charge of staging plays at the Emery, and have invested much time, effort and money into making the place a pleasant one for both actors and audience, seem to think that the space will no longer be used for a theatre. Now their task is to find a new home for their companies and equipment, and a new venue for their plays. It would be a shame if this small but inventive crew were left abandoned and their shows left unperformed.

posted by Tamburlaine @ 6:27 pm