The Astor Theatre in Deal on the East Kent coast is my local, multi-purpose arts centre. It has, like so many venues, been hammered by being forced to close its doors for most of the year. Being unable to offer the usual programme of music, theatre, literary events, art exhibitions and films, as well as a range of classes and workshops which cater to all ages and tastes, means that it is under threat and faces a long, hard winter.
I moved to Deal four years ago and have been getting more and more involved with the building during that time. My daughter attended baby ballet there, my wife runs their weddings and together we helped to re-establish the venue as a cinema with social distancing as things cautiously eased over the summer. It is a space for all of our community, old and young, rich or poor and retains a special place in the hearts of the community.
The Astor did not receive any funding from the recent funding provided to arts institutions by the government. We remain committed to weathering this storm and seeing it through as best we can. We were fortunate to have been featured on Front Row a couple of weeks ago and were contacted by Chris Difford, who has offered to perform one of his Writers Garden Live shows on Zoom in aid of the theatre. Chris has performed here in the past, both with Squeeze and solo and we are very grateful for his support at this time. Following Saturday’s announcement it is the only guaranteed show that we will be able to present at this time.
I know that there are plenty of wise souls on here who would enjoy a few hours in Chris’ company, albeit virtual, so I thought I’d share the information and spread the love beyond our little corner of South East England. You can visit https://theastor.co.uk/ to buy a ticket, if you so wish. He has a starry selection of guest stars who are very Afterword friendly, so you may even get a little bonus if you can make it along. Ironically, I can’t watch the show as I’ll be wearing one of my other hats that night in my attempts to keep a roof over my head. Nonetheless, it should be a treat.
There are many such venues across the country that are deserving of your attention and assistance at this time; if you are able to afford to help them to survive then please do. I know I’m preaching to the choir but we are going to need rooms like The Astor, where we can gather to laugh and dance and sing along to our favourite tunes when all this is over.
SteveT says
Happy to lend my support. I have the same sentiments about my local independent cinema The Red Carpet cinema at Barton Marina. They were struggling during the first lockdown and when they cautiously reopened we went to 4 cinema shows and 2 restaurant meals to ensure we did our bit. Now they will need to close down again after just getting back on their feet.
The Muswell Hillbilly says
Thankyou, Steve. It’s a similar story for so many venues, sadly. A whole network of smaller venues are going to have to dig deep in order to pull through. I remain hopeful that, as with so many industries who are having to reconsider their offerings, it will actually lead to new and inventive ways of running these businesses. Covid may prove the catalyst for all kinds of innovation. But it’s going to be a bumpy road travelled to get there.
dai says
Good for him.