GO WEST! ORCHARD WEST IS NOW OPEN!
On Saturday 9 December, Orchard West in Dartford opened its doors to the public for the very first time.
Dartford Borough Council (DBC) and Trafalgar Theatres constructed a state-of-the art temporary theatre venue in Dartford, following concerns over RAAC concrete in The Orchard Theatre’s roof which forced venue to close in September. Construction began on 30 October and took just 6 weeks to complete, saving pantomime for Dartford theatregoers!
The first performance of pantomime Beauty and the Beast took place over the weekend. Shona McGarty leads the line-up of Dartford’s annual panto playing the title role of Belle.
On the night, audience members were quoted saying:
“I can’t believe they built this is just six weeks, it’s stunning”
“The bathrooms are very nice, not what I expected”
“…you would never have known you were in a temporary structure once inside the main house”
“We were all a bit anxious about the venue but a pleasant surprise to find everything so lovely”
Prior to opening, local media were invited along to Orchard West for an exclusive tour of the venue and interviews with interim Theatre Director Tal Rosen and Dartford Borough Council Leader Jeremy Kite.
