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Help Save the Paul Robeson Theatre in Hounslow!
THE THEATRE'S STATEMENT
The Paul Robeson Theatre is a valuable community asset, providing a professional space for many schools, dance/drama academies and local Theatre groups as well as meetings, conferences and professional shows.
Hounslow Council want to close the Theatre in order to help fund the proposed Library refurbishment. The Theatre would then become more retail space or extra library space.
There's a consultation process now under way, however this process is flawed as it riddled with misinformation about the theatre. Everything from the number of seats to the attendance percentages is wrong and wrong in a way that shows the theatre in a bad light. They give not one single positive reason given for keeping the theatre.
A consultation process should be impartial and factually correct, this one is not. It's deliberate misrepresentation and untenable. We want the council to stop this biased consultation and reconsider their library refurbishment plans to include the Theatre as part of a combined library and Arts centre.
Please support what we're doing: you can let the Council know your opinion by filling in the consultation forms at the local libraries or by following this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DBH28HD - BY 28th AUGUST.
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PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP ORGANISED BY THE THEATRE ITSELF OR CONTACT US FOR ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF HELPING
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You can also read more about the proposed closure by clicking any of the following links;
Article in The Stage
The Theatre Trust's statement
Bunbanter's statement.
Our theatre company, The Bunbury Banter Theatre Company, has used the Paul Robeson Theatre for the last few years and both the company and our kids in our Saturday School absolutely love the space! The stage is different from any of the other stages in London, and contrary to what the council suggest, it is an entirely 'formal' and professional space.
We are absolutely devastated to hear of it's proposed closure and then quickly became incensed when we read the proposals going forward...
As the above plea from the theatre suggests (at the top of the page) what then follows is a number of points and miss-information regarding the number of seats, usage and performance space it's self. There are no positives presented.
As a company we have always felt that it's almost criminal how the current theatre is held to random and has to struggle under the shopping centre's opening hours, security issues and general constraints (ignoring that the actual figures given by this consultation are incorrect) but all of these could be tackled with some proper discussions and the support of the council. Instead of this, the council seem busy being uncommunicative and offering the one-sided, bias view which they are quietly publicising.
These alternative spaces which the consultation offers are equally revealing - showing that those driving this deal are completely unknowledgeable and un-supporting of any theatrical company working to further culture in the area; two of the spaces suggested are not performance venues and one is not only the edge of the borough but also horrifically expensive to rent. Did we mention that the latter have also lost their arts council funding - making their future equally uncertain.
Perhaps the worst part of the situation is the blasé attitude the council - those who hold the theatre in their control.
You can read their full proposal by clicking HERE
*We assume when they say 'hall space' they mean the fully working theatre.
As you can see, they seem to hold no positives in having a theatrical building in Hounslow (and almost deny it's very existence) and disregard the problems the theatre faces, as nothing to do with them. We understand and support the need to refurbish the library but if there really is no alternative to loosing the space then move the theatre! There arenumerous empty buildings all around the area and surely this should be the LAST RESORT rather than the closure of the theatre being the FIRST SUGGESTION.
Finally, it's worth remembering that this decision is especially tragic considering - as the name suggests - its roots are inspired by Paul Robeson (widely known for campaigning for black/political rights and equality regardless of race/creed/culture) who's ideals are particularly relevant to the extremely ethnically mixed borough of Hounslow.
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"The council has been approached by the owners of the Treaty Centre to review if we would be prepared to surrender part of our lease to accommodate a new major retailer who will financially contribute to the proposed library refurbishment." "The full modernisation of Hounslow library would not go ahead without the additional financial contribution but we would require the closure of the Paul Robeson Theatre and café area which is currently severely under used."
“We believe that the meetings could be easily accommodated in the nearby Montague Hall, and that performance events could be relocated to Feltham Assembly Hall, Isleworth Public Hall or the Watermans Arts Centre which we support.
“All these venues have sufficient capacity and therefore the loss of this hall space* could be mitigated and alternative arts provision could be looked at as part of the wider redevelopment of the Town Centre.”
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