Equity backs campaign to save Derby Playhouse
The Equity Council has expressed its deep concern at the sudden closure of the Derby Playhouse on 29 November 2007, the day that its Christmas show Treasure Island was due to open. The show went on for one night only. Sixty people have now lost their jobs and the theatre is in voluntary liquidation.
Equity is working closely with local campaign groups to keep the theatre alive and has called on the Arts Council England to ensure a future for producing theatre in Derby.
Artistic director Stephen Edwards offered £282,000 of his own money to save the theatre but this was rejected by the Theatre's board. The BBC has reported that Derby City Council had objected to Mr Edwards' loan offer because his lawyers insisted it should be secured against the theatre's lease. Mr Edwards paid staff wages of £40,000 and a £30,000 bill to insolvency experts before the theatre closed.
He said the theatre could reopen if it received donations totalling £500,000. "I'm one of the theatre's largest creditors which means I can go to the creditors' meeting with a fair amount of clout."
A local campaign team was starting work today to raise the money to try to buy and reopen Derby Playhouse. The theatre's former chairman, Jonathan Powers is leading the bid to reopen it as a privately-funded charitable company. He says he is backed by a team of expert fund-raisers as well as a senior former Downing Street civil servant. They would be joined by the venue's former joint-artistic director, Stephen Edwards, who has already pledged £282,000 towards the project, former Playhouse chief executive Karen Hebden and another former chairman, Michael Hall, who resigned earlier this month.
For information about the local campaign to save the Derby Playhouse visit http://www.savederbyplayhouse.org
Letters of concern and protest can be written to:
Councillor Chris Williamson
Leader Derby City Council
The Council House
Corporation Street
Derby
DE1 2FE
e-mail: chris.williamson@derby.gov.uk
Dorothy Wilson
Chair West Midlands Regional Arts Council
82 Granville Street
Birmingham
B1 2LH
e-mail: dorothy.wilson@artscouncil.org.uk
You can write to Derbyshire MPs at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Or you can e-mail them via the web site:
http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/constituency/search/l/derby.html
Derbyshire MPs are:
Margaret Beckett MP, Derby South
Bob Laxton, Derby North
Mark Todd, South Derbyshire
Patrick McLoughlin MP, West Derbyshire
Natascha Engel, North East Derbyshire
Equity's local representative is Tim Johnson. You can contact him at:
Equity,
1 Steeple House,
Coventry
CV1 3BY
or e-mail him on tjohnson@midlands-equity.org.uk