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A LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
I will try and give you an update as to where we are in negotiations with Teignbridge District Council (TDC) over the possible re-opening of the Carlton and also of the situation with regard to the long term future of the Players and the Carlton.
Since the untimely closure of the theatre we have been trying to get TDC to agree that the solution to the current problem is a relatively simple matter to fix.
With the help of the Mayor (Clr Geoff Bladon) and the Town Clerk (Dave Tickell) we now have what we believe is a workable solution to erect a false ceiling over the stage, this will have wire netting above it to catch any tiles in the unlikely event of them coming out from their mountings.
Below this would be fireproof boarding sealing the whole area and thus negating any risk of asbestos fibres, if they exist, from reaching any internal part of the theatre. The whole structure would be fixed to a strong wooden frame and there would also be access hatches so that TDC could check the ceiling above.
This may sound a bit of overkill but we have to be 100% certain of the safety of our members and customers before we could even consider re-opening. TDC are currently examining the proposals and will come back to us shortly.
We have now had 2 asbestos reassurance tests in the auditorium and both show no asbestos so the area is totally safe in this respect.
If we get the go ahead from TDC to do the work we estimate it will take up to 2 weeks to complete. In addition to this we have to re erect ALL the curtain tracks, borders and roller cloths and corresponding pulleys and ropes that had to be taken down before the TDC contractor’s abortive attempt to fix the problem well before Christmas.
All this may seem excessive but we have no option, especially where public safety is concerned.
Assuming this all goes well we can then start to use the theatre again.
The delay in getting back has meant that I have had to take the disappointing step of cancelling the pantomime that I was so determined to put on. Sadly we are at a stage where we would have to start rehearsals from scratch and I am not even sure that all the cast are still available.
The next two events scheduled for the theatre are the Teignmouth Drama Festival in March and Shock! in April. Again timing is critical and the Festival Committee need to know now what is happening. They have been looking for an alternative venue but this is proving difficult and they are running out of options. I have held back on the rehearsals for Shock as I do not want to commence another production and have to let another cast down.
I have lost count of the number of meetings / telephone conversations that the Committee and I have been involved in but, hopefully, we are making progress in that yesterday we at last had a direct meeting with the Chief Executive of TDC (Nicola Bulbeck) and the leader of TDC (Alan Connett).
We discussed the current situation and looked at possibilities for the future and we at least agree on one major item which is the ongoing live theatre in Teignmouth and the Players involvement in providing this and we have TDC full support in doing so.
With regard to the Carlton TDC are still very concerned with the condition of the building and over any possibility of a long term future for it. Apart from the actual condition of the building finance is now also a critical consideration. They have agreed to undertake an independent structural survey to verify the situation and have promised us sight of the report. We have still stressed our wish to have the Carlton considered as our home as per our business plan.
We are also continuing negotiations in respect of the Riviera and are trying to get some costings out of the developers agent together with details of exactly what the developer will be providing to anyone using the auditorium. Rodney and I are meeting with Doff Pollard (TDC Arts Officer) to discuss how any lease would work there and who would have responsibility for what. We will also look at what facilities there would be to get grants for future developments. We are also meeting with the developer and his agent to discuss internal developments relating to dressing room provision, access for the disabled, seating, lighting, front of house and many other things.
I will let you know details of any significant developments as soon as I am able to.
The Committee would like to thank those members, friends, Shaldon Theatre Company and The Mayor and Councillor Fusco for their help and support for our petition last Saturday. In under three hours we collected a staggering 1600 signatures and this result was presented to the leader of TDC yesterday and showed him the strength of feeling for the Players. What was also nice was the spontaneous comments and recollections we received from so many people. Thank you all there are obviously a lot of good memories relating to the theatre.
My apologies for not giving you more frequent updates but there has not really been anything constructive to say until now. TDC will take a week or so before they come back to us but they are aware of the urgency with which we wish to get the Carlton re-opened. ROGER SMITH
Mitch Mitchell - We are sorry to hear that Mitch is in hospital in Torbay and is not feeling at all well. He is keeping the ward entertained, to say nothing of the nurses, with some of his jokes when he feels up to it! We send him and Lucy all our best wishes and hope he soon feels a lot better. (Since this was written Mitch has passed away - our condolences to Lucy and family in their sad loss)
On behalf of the Players I would like to publicly thank Roger, Rodney and Roy for the amount of time and energy they have been required to put in over the last two months to get us to the present point. THE GRUMPY OLD GIT
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