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Theatre booms, but our new one has still to open
• IN July you featured an excellent article about the puzzle as to why the Collins underground theatre behind Islington Green – campaigned for by Islington people for so long – had not opened as promised, the excuse by the developers being that, due to the economic downturn, now would not be a good time.
Last week, it was reported that, according to figures compiled by the Society of London Theatre, they are packing in more people than at any time since records began 25 years ago, and that in the six months to July 18 there were 7,627,426 visits, that is 2.5 per cent up on 2008, which was also a record year. Box office receipts are also 3.5 per cent up.
While musicals dominate, play attendances, at 1,886,586, represented a quarter of all visits and that was up by 19 per cent on last year. The society attributes the healthy figures to the strength of what’s on, as well as the fact that more people are staying in the UK this year and that in times of economic insecurity people want to be entertained, though not necessarily in a “make-me-cheerful” way.
The quality of plays has been a contributing factor to the boom and serious drama has been doing well across London, including The Bridge Project and the Norman Conquests (which gained a Tony Award) at the Old Vic, which is run by Sally Greene, who also heads the Collins Trust and is supposed to be providing us with our theatre.
In May 2008 I spoke on the campaign’s behalf at an Islington council licensing committee meeting which awarded several licences for both the theatre and other events which could use the enormous extra spaces also available. I was congratulated by their solicitor, who said they had not needed to pay him as I had done the persuading. Six groups of people were guided round the underground structure previous to that and all that was needed was the fitting out of the theatre.
I was also introduced to the experienced entrepreneur who, I was told, would provide the high-class, fresh food market on the ground floor between the towers in Essex Road. There will be a restaurant and retail units there. Along with security, office staff, actors and management, the development would provide much-needed employment.
I recently learned that they had secured buyers for all the flats, even the penthouse, which was a requirement to fund the theatre, but there had been some hold-up in procedure and time had run out.
It seems the flats are now let. Even when this is tied up, there will still be an eight-month delay while EDF installs an electricity sub-station for the whole development.
The planning agreement states that a theatre has to open before the last 15 flats are occupied and there are various community benefits which I’m told are still guaranteed, like free drama and technical lessons and performances for school and college students.
In the autumn I intend to gather together a group of long-involved, interested people to go and challenge the management over this. The only excuse I can think of for this delay is that it was not realised that theatre would be doing so well at this stage, but what a waste of a glorious potential for an exciting central hub to our community, which the theatre would have been, and a waste of the resources already engaged.
Anyone interested can contact me on avis@art-science.com.
AVIS SALTSMAN BALDRY
Gerrard Road, N1
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