Theatre bosses face fury at Hackney Empire public meeting
12th March 2010
Angry theatre lovers lambasted Hackney Empire bosses over the theatre’s financial woes at the public meeting into its future last night (11 March). Hundreds of supporters filled the Empire’s main house to demand answers from the theatre’s key figures and representatives from Hackney Council and the government’s Arts Council.
A panel, including interim chief executive, Clarie Middleton, board chairman David Robins and associate director Susie Mckenna, gathered on stage and arts consultant Jodie Myers took questions from the floor. But she had a difficult job on her hands as theatre lovers furious about the troubled theatre’s temporary closure, redundancies and property sell-off sneered, shouted and booed at the speakers.
Roland Muldoon, who was chief executive and artistic director of the theatre from 1986 to 2005, had called for an all-out battle to save the Empire. He slammed the sale of the theatre’s Bullion Rooms on Wilton Way without widespread public consultation, as well as proposals to bring in private pub company to run the Marie Lloyd bar.
He said after the meeting: “I thought they were pathetic actually. The whole thing fell apart for them. I was very sad about the whole thing anyway. I’m not sure what to do now.”
Former Empire performers and audience members alike turned out in force to support the theatre. Panto star and radio DJ, Kat B, said: “I need to know that everyone up there on the stage loves this theatre. This is an important platform for young people.”
Meanwhile, Conservative Party prospective candidate for Hackney South and Shoreditch could not point his point to the panel because boos from his fellow audience members were too loud.
But there was some good news at the meeting with the announcement that the theatre will be releasing a summer programme shortly. And Frank Sweeney, former head of programming who was made redundant in recent cuts, said he was hopeful for the future of the theatre. “I would say it was generally positive. It has been bit factious tonight but that’s just people’s passion for it to work.’‘
Source: Hackney Gazette
