Dear All,

Welcome to the September edition of Ensemble.

As you are all aware, last week we were sorry to have to temporarily suspend performances at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford, following the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the building.

To all the staff at the venue, I know that this may be a worrying time for some of you, but please bear with us as we work through everything. I’m sure you’ll understand that there are a lot of complexities and moving parts involved. The management and HR teams will be updating and supporting you throughout this challenging time and we thank you for your patience and resilience as we continue to explore all options with Dartford Borough Council.

It also became necessary to temporarily close the Dixon Studio, Southend, due to the presence of RAAC. Southend City Council did however confirm that no RAAC had been identified at the Cliffs Pavilion or the Palace Theatre, so these two venues can continue to remain open and operate as normal. The Dixon Studio is a small extension to the Palace Theatre, so its closure has no impact on the main theatre building.

In both situations, we are working alongside local councils, staff, customers, promoters and producers to minimise disruption, find alternative solutions, and resume business operations as quickly as possibly.

In other news, TE continues to champion the future stars of tomorrow through our Performing Arts education businesses and our Creative Learning programmes. This summer has been exceptional, with record-breaking Summer Youth Projects, industry experience days and Stagecoach’s Summer Showcase. You can read all about these wonderful initiatives in this issue.

Plus, we have TWO news round-ups from our venue teams this month, a busy September slate from Trafalgar Releasing, and an exclusive behind the scenes look at Imagine Theatre’s panto photo shoots.

Until next time, take care of yourselves.
Best wishes,
Rosemary