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FRIENDS OF THE THEATRE NEWSLETTER SPRING 2017

A date for What’s behind the barriers? The Friends committee was given a tour of the theatre at the end of your diary! February to see the progress on the regeneration works. Wednesday 31st May The main development since our The committee was also given a previous visit before Christmas was the presentation by Emma Dagnes, the The 2017 AGM of the Friends will amount of work done on the new floor. deputy CEO of Alexandra Palace, on the once again take place in the splendid The Victorian brickwork piers have now details of the major regeneration works Londesborough Room just off the been removed, apart from some small package, and her team’s developing Palm Court in the West Wing. areas left for heritage reasons, and new, plans for operating the theatre when it Come along for registration and light stronger concrete foundations installed. opens in late summer 2018. The major refreshments at 7pm and the AGM It is hoped that the new concrete apron works programme is expected to start will start at 7.30pm. will be laid by the end of April. in May. Our guest speakers will include Louise Stewart, CEO at AP who will The original floorboards will then be Louise will give an update to members tell us about her plans for an exciting restored on top of the flat, levelled floor. at the AGM. opening season in 2018. Joining our committee? A committee of volunteers, meeting about once a month, runs the Friends. Many have worked tirelessly over the years to save the extraordinary Victorian Theatre at the Palace. We welcome new members onto the Committee, particularly if you have experience in theatre and the arts or looking after and communicating with a large group of members, or database management. Bennett Graham Photographs: If you are interested, please email Friends chair Nigel Willmott and secretary Pat Brearey, co-authors of Drama at Nigel Willmott on nwillmott@ the Palace, the history of the Victorian years in the theatre, took the message blueyonder.co.uk, or come up and to a wider audience with a talk to the Edmonton Hundred historical society in introduce yourself before the start of Enfield on March 15. The book is still available on Amazon at £8.50, or on the the AGM on Wednesday May 31st. Friends website to members at £7. Rubble rubble ... During the regeneration works in colours in this Kenner art do seem to So the mystery remains! If you can the Theatre, in December last year match some of those on the plaster; help solve it please let us know there was a fascinating find, the but in Kenner’s portrayal the pattern [email protected] origin of which still eludes us. on the pieces is not visible. Kenner’s With thanks to: representation can be seen on the Willmott Dixon: Photograph of decorated plaster. website Alexandra Palace: Information about the find. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/ Haringey Archives, Museum: item/object/15069 Municipal Journal 10.05.1901; and Journal 25.02.1910; The Theatre was decorated in late 11.03.1910; 1909/early 1910, according to Alexandra Palace Magazine, Vol 2, No 9, Sept 1928; reports in The Hornsey and Finsbury Cinderella programme 10.01.1923 Park Journal, with “passages” Imperial War Museum: Link to George Kenner “recoloured” and “walls repapered”. painting. Perhaps it is this decoration that is The British Newspaper Archive seen in Kenner’s art. (www.BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk): Photograph: Pat Brearey Pat Photograph: The Era 09.05.1875: Newspaper transcript (c) While works were taking place to By May 1901 the Theatre was The Board. All rights reserved. the floor of a balcony-like structure “thoroughly overhauled and with doors, believed to have been decorated” according to The Municipal added in 1920s refurbishment, Journal. An 1875 decription of a section of concrete floor was decoration as “of a more subdued removed, to unexpectedly reveal character than in other portions of pieces of decorated plasterwork the Palace” from The Era also lacks underneath; building rubble, which details of colour. Check the appears to have been used as infill. latest AP video As much as possible of this decorated plasterwork was carefully saved. The latest short video about the Had it been part of the Theatre? history of the theatre is now on the Friends’ YouTube page. The decorated plaster may not This one is: have come from Alexandra Palace originally at all. And if it had, Facts, figures, heating and toilets. which Alexandra Palace? Perhaps https://www.youtube.com/channel/ it was from the existing Theatre, UCaJybyAEYU0hr_cRiLBvW9A first opened 1875. The series will be continuing The Theatre’s current decoration, through the Spring and Summer which doesn’t seem to match the and the site will regularly be rubble, is believed to date from the updated. If you’d like to be notified 1920s. A 1928 Alexandra Palace automatically each time a new Magazine suggests there was video is released, you can click on decoration that year. In 1922 there the ‘subscribe’ tab on our page - were “alterations and redecorations”, it’s really like joining a mailing list

noted in a 1923 Theatre programme, Willmott Dixon but with no mention of colours. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for new videos on Some colours of the Theatre in 1916 things you’d like to know about have been preserved in a work of the theatre. art created by George Kenner. Some permission from With The Future of the Friends Alexandra palace None of the committee has a crystal ball to Fundraising for the Theatre. see into the future, but we are thinking about Alexandra Palace is aiming to raise £1 million how the Friends might change after the Theatre towards the regeneration from business and opens. We have published some thoughts in a the community and to find out how you might paper on our website but we welcome members be able to help, go to ideas and input, so please tell us what you think http://support.alexandrapalace.com on [email protected]

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