LockedDown Theatre Keeping Drama Alive

Notes from a locked-down theatre By Pete Raine, Hon. Treasurer, FHODS

Monday March 16th was an emotional day at the Tower Theatre in Shorncliffe. We were just two days off the first night of the FHODS production of Vicar of Dibley. The technical rehearsals over the weekend had gone well, the cast and backstage crew were poised for the run, and all four nights had full audiences, with over 1000 tickets sold.

But with every day, the inexorable progress of coronavirus made us more concerned. That very morning, a ticket holder had come into our office to ask if the show was going ahead.

“Well, at this stage, it is,” we told her.

“Oh thank goodness for that,” she said. “We all need a good laugh!”

But sadly it was not to be. The briefing from Downing Street that afternoon strongly recommended that theatres suspend their productions, and we felt we had no option but to cancel the run. The following Monday, all theatres were told to close for the foreseeable future and so the lights went out in the auditorium.

But not in the rest of the theatre. Despite our four part-time and hardworking staff being furloughed, volunteers took over to keep the building ticking over and making improvements too. Dressing rooms were refurbished, walls repainted, wiring renewed, scenery and props

The auditorium at the Tower Theatre as it ought to be… …..but, sadly, as it is now.

re-organised, all in the spirit of hope that the virus would decline and we could re-open the theatre. Socially distanced productions were planned, and a new play, “The Audience”, was cast and in rehearsal when its production was rendered impossible by the Rule of Six. Dreams were dreamed, shattered, and dreamt again.

So now, along with the rest of the country, we face an uncertain future. We know that live theatre is an integral and important part of our culture, just as much in Folkestone and Hythe as in the West End or Stratford-on-Avon. We have been supported by some Government funding, we have borrowed more from the bank, and we have also set up a GoFundMe page, and any contribution, small or large will be greatly appreciated. We would also like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to all that have already generously donated. Details can be found on our Facebook page or via www.gofundme.com/f/save-thetower-theatre.

We are also extremely grateful to the amazing 90% of our ticket holders who, when offered a refund, have opted to hold on to their tickets in the hope that the shows they have booked for will be staged. Those of us in the cast of the Vicar of Dibley are desperately trying to keep our lines in our memories for when that happens!

We are making the theatre Covid-compliant so that when the time comes, we can open our doors safely and welcome our audiences back again.

A proud volunteer with a newly painted dressing room.

So, the next time you drive along North Road past the Tower Theatre, spare a thought for the empty auditorium. And the moment you hear that we are able to put on a show – please buy your tickets and support the only dedicated live theatre in Folkestone and Hythe. FHODS was founded way back in 1902, and has weathered two World Wars and a multitude of challenges since then. Indeed, the Tower itself was originally built as a garrison church in the middle of the Second World War. We won’t let the pandemic beat us.

In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger –“We will be back!”