This year is flying by, we are already into February and a cold bitter spell is covering the country.
A sharp freeze of another kind has again befallen the touring theatre community in North Devon. The news that the North Devon Community Trust has gone into administration and has been forced to close the doors of both The Queens and Landmark has send a collective chill through the spines of producers and touring shows. This leaves North Devon without a venue for live theatre and many people jobless.
More information can be found via The Stage
The Trust has blamed the falling audiences and the significant reduction of council grants for it’s financial troubles. Of course, we understand councils are under increasing pressure but surely they must understand the enormous benefit local theatres bring to the local, and wider community. Within a few hours of the announcement residents had got a petition together and a Facebook group.
We very much hope that someone will come to the rescue and manage to get these lovely theatres open again.
We were due to visit with Oh! Carol on 30th June and hope to be able to do so. We have not had any information from theatre staff or North Devon Trust. We attempt to plan our tour visiting theatres within a sensible distance of each other especially when travelling over 200 miles, as you can imagine this really does cause us some issues and impacts on other small production companies.
Nevertheless, you can find us at 1st July at The Regal Theatre in Redruth, Cornwall.
Please support your local theatre as often as you can and encourage others to do the same because theatre really does matter.
Image: via North Devon Journal
