Claire Burlington

I’ve had a lot of people (quick, finish the sentence, Claire) asking about what’s on at The Woolwich Grand Theatre. I’m afraid I’m not the person to ask. That’s Adrian Green at info@thewoolwichgrandtheatre.com. There’s also a facebook page if you’re still down with the kids.

The Woolwich Grand has been the source of great joy and pain for me over the past year. Sadly, lately it’s been more of the pain, to the extent that I’m no longer really affiliated with the project. I mean, you may well see me up a ladder painting, or cleaning chewing gum off the floor, but I’m no longer any more involved than any other volunteer who’s giving up some time to help a local cause.

The reasons aren’t particularly complicated or interesting and are of the ‘artistic differences’ ilk. To me it was always simple: ‘We’re making a theatre; let’s put theatre in it!’, but I’ve gradually come to understand that that isn’t how the project is viewed by everyone. And I shall stop there. If you desperately want to know any more, then I’m happy to talk about it to you privately. To my mind, the separation has been amicable, so I hope Adrian feels that way too.

Also, I am currently, for various reasons, attempting to avoid stress, rather than actively seeking it out like a crazed cortisol junkie. Interestingly, the days when I would find myself alone in a state of fight-or-flight with not a lot to fight with or flee from are gone. Now, I just have those heart-pounding, wild-haired Palaeolithic moments in company. Great. Really great. Not all compay, you understand, but some. So, in the deeply selfish interest of self-preservation, I’m trying to keep contact with those, um, companies to a minimum.

But it’s been great fun! Those early days of battling the pigeons, the damp, the cold to make the building fit for human occupation were an absolute blast. If you don’t know me well, that might sound ironic. If you know me well, you’ll know it most definitely isn’t. Here’s hoping the project is a great success!

The Woolwich Grand Theatre is Go!

Having had the planning meeting scheduled for the end of September and then moved to October, it was suddenly brought forward to earlier this evening.

And, earlier this evening,  the arts centre application was passed unanimously by Greenwich Council.

Thank you, Councillors and Planning Officers!

Hurray! Phew! Gosh! Eek! Now the fun really starts.

And something else I wanted to say…

You know how it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind?

Well, I want to change my mind about the council. At least a bit. Recently, I had been feeling  that big business was their major interest, and the people on the Woolwich omnibus were not too high on the agenda, but I was so impressed by their efficiency, pragmatism and good-spiritedness at the planning meeting tonight. There were several applications under consideration and each was dealt with quickly and directly. All questions raised were completely appropriate and, if answered satisfactorily, then the applications were passed with no further ado. I don’t know why, but I expected it to be a much more adversarial process with all sorts of shillyshallying and bluster. There wasn’t any of that. At all. And the councillors even looked quite pleased when we all gave their decision a large round of applause.

Three cheers! Hip hip! Hurrah! Huzzah!

So.

I’m currently lending a little hand towards making a theatre. A derelict 1950s cinema building in Woolwich is being transformed into a new arts centre – The Woolwich Grand Theatre. Frankly, hurrah! The powerhouse of a man behind this mammoth project is Adrian Green - filmmaker, creator of Edinburgh legend DJ Minicab and general force of nature.

The cinema is a vast building. The main space is spectacular, currently sporting chequered flooring and fake palm trees left over from its last incarnation as a nightclub (alluringly named ‘N-Tyce’, which had a history as chequered as the dancefloor, as the recently discovered ‘Incident Book’, attests…). And then there are labyrinths of winding staircases and rooms that haven’t been disturbed for decades. The topmost levels are pigeon territory, but, slowly, the humans are edging them out.

It is a fantastic place.

It is so exciting to have this project happening on my doorstep and to be able to help out a wee bit.

And you can play too. The former foyer space on the first floor, aka The Red Room, is just about ready to be used and is ideal for smallish productions, comedy gigs, live music, rehearsals and readings – perfect for Edinburgh tryouts. Contact Adrian via the website or on facebook for more details.

The Woolwich Grand Theatre - how it's going to be