#1
Posted: 5/26/09 at 10:31am
After the brilliant news of a new London theatre with the building of a new Westminster Theatre comes this shocking news about the Shaw Theatre.
Fears have been raised over the future of the Shaw Theatre in central London, after it was revealed that the management of the venue is to be taken over by the hotel in which it is located.
The venue was refurbished as part of a planning permission allowed on appeal in 2002, subject to a number of conditions. These included that the theatre should be made available for the ?performance of plays? 320 days per year and that conferences should be limited to 105 days per year.
Novotel took over from the previous hotel owners and, since reopening in 2004, the theatre has been run by Brian Daniels, who also operates the New End theatre in Hampstead. But from July, the hotel will not be renewing Daniels? lease and will instead take over management of the 450-seat theatre itself. A new theatre manager, John Jackson Almond, has been appointed.
Campaigners have expressed concern that this could see conferences dominate use of the venue, at the expense of theatre.
John Levitt of Save London Theatres Campaign said he was ?appalled? by the development. He added: ?I think it hasn?t any chance of having a future as a theatre if it is being run by the hotel, who already dominate the situation with their conferences, which makes it impossible to book things in as you usually would with a theatre. It goes completely against everything that was intended when the theatre was opened.?
However, Michael Vocal, the general manager of the Novotel London St Pancras, insisted it would be ?the same type of set up as it is currently?. ?There should be no changes,? he said. ?Obviously we?re not a production company, as Brian Daniels was, but the theatre will continue to put performances on.?
Daniels confirmed he would be leaving the venue on July 19 when the lease would revert to the hotel. He stressed that he would continue to run the New End Theatre in Hampstead.
A spokesman for the Theatres Trust said: ?The Theatres Trust very much hopes that the Shaw will continue to be successful. It needs better signage, but the theatre is in a location which has become more arts focused with the regeneration of Kings Cross and there is every reason to believe that in future there will be increased demand.?
Asked to comment on any possible change of use for the building, Camden council said it would ensure that planning conditions/obligations were complied with, adding that planning permission would be required as a precondition for change of use, with interested parties and residents invited to comment.
?At this stage there is no evidence to suggest that the hotel will not fulfil its obligations but we will be making contact to offer appropriate planning guidance in this matter,? said a spokesman for the local authority.
Fears have been raised over the future of the Shaw Theatre in central London, after it was revealed that the management of the venue is to be taken over by the hotel in which it is located.
The venue was refurbished as part of a planning permission allowed on appeal in 2002, subject to a number of conditions. These included that the theatre should be made available for the ?performance of plays? 320 days per year and that conferences should be limited to 105 days per year.
Novotel took over from the previous hotel owners and, since reopening in 2004, the theatre has been run by Brian Daniels, who also operates the New End theatre in Hampstead. But from July, the hotel will not be renewing Daniels? lease and will instead take over management of the 450-seat theatre itself. A new theatre manager, John Jackson Almond, has been appointed.
Campaigners have expressed concern that this could see conferences dominate use of the venue, at the expense of theatre.
John Levitt of Save London Theatres Campaign said he was ?appalled? by the development. He added: ?I think it hasn?t any chance of having a future as a theatre if it is being run by the hotel, who already dominate the situation with their conferences, which makes it impossible to book things in as you usually would with a theatre. It goes completely against everything that was intended when the theatre was opened.?
However, Michael Vocal, the general manager of the Novotel London St Pancras, insisted it would be ?the same type of set up as it is currently?. ?There should be no changes,? he said. ?Obviously we?re not a production company, as Brian Daniels was, but the theatre will continue to put performances on.?
Daniels confirmed he would be leaving the venue on July 19 when the lease would revert to the hotel. He stressed that he would continue to run the New End Theatre in Hampstead.
A spokesman for the Theatres Trust said: ?The Theatres Trust very much hopes that the Shaw will continue to be successful. It needs better signage, but the theatre is in a location which has become more arts focused with the regeneration of Kings Cross and there is every reason to believe that in future there will be increased demand.?
Asked to comment on any possible change of use for the building, Camden council said it would ensure that planning conditions/obligations were complied with, adding that planning permission would be required as a precondition for change of use, with interested parties and residents invited to comment.
?At this stage there is no evidence to suggest that the hotel will not fulfil its obligations but we will be making contact to offer appropriate planning guidance in this matter,? said a spokesman for the local authority.
