Updated: 05 February 2010

A warm welcome

As you can see from the news section of this site, Andrew Davies has accepted an invitation to become the Patron of the Loft Theatre Company.

I am very pleased indeed to welcome him aboard in this new capacity and I am sure that you will all share my delight. I became aware some time ago that other LTG theatres with which I believe we have a common desire to produce quality work had Patrons of substance and stature: Questors has Dame Judi Dench, Leicester Little Theatre has Lord Attenborough and the Lace Market in Nottingham Prunella Scales, for example.

For us, Andrew was an obvious choice. A local man, Andrew lives in Kenilworth; he has a high reputation which stretches nationally and internationally. That is exactly what we aspire to ourselves and so the match is well-made.

His association with the Loft goes back a long way. He has been one of our Vice Presidents for many years and we premiered two of his stage plays, Rose (1982) and Prin (1991), here. More recently he was involved as the judge of our international playwriting competition.

I am looking forward very much to seeing more of Andrew around the place and to creating some special events for our members that will involve him.

The move: the devil in the detail

We are now ploughing through endless detail as the building specification documents are drawn. This is the stage at which our needs and wants are translated into plans and descriptions that can be quoted against by contractors who want to do the work. It is, as you would imagine, complex and essentially tedious. However, it is also essential and of the highest importance because major errors will be almost impossible to rectify later.

I am greatly indebted to my colleagues on the negotiating team, Bill Wilkinson, Gus MacDonald and Rob Wootton (our professional surveyor), for their advice, stamina and eagle-eyed scrutiny. This is not something that could be done by any individual but neither could it be done by a large and unwieldy committee.

Vetting and Barring

BBC’s Panorama is scheduled to broadcast a programme on this subject on Monday 8 February. I was invited to make a contribution to the programme along with the Little Theatre Guild, including the LTG Patron, Sir Ian McKellen. We are one of many theatres that have taken the decision not to plan work which would put us in the way of poorly drafted and unclear legislation. Let us hope that those who govern us are able to see their way to sense, proportionality and clarity. I hope but without great expectations.

Contact me

If you would like more detail about anything I have said here or just want to chat – or complain – about any other aspect of the theatre that concerns you, please get in touch. I am always happy to talk.

Contact me by phone on 07763 974264, or via email to chairman@loft-theatre.co.uk.

Michael Rayns
Chairman

• News Index