Students pen open letter to UCL following Bloomsbury Theatre Closure

UCLU Arts societies have written to UCL management after they confirmed Bloomsbury Theatre will remain closed until 2018, without providing any alternative performance venues for the extent of the delay.

This has sparked outrage with many students who have had to go without any stage venue since September, being forced to use classrooms and lecture theatres for rehearsals.

Bloomsbury has been closed since the summer

An original statement by UCL stated building works had impacted upon a “known asbestos problem” on the theatre site and was scheduled to re-open in the summer of 2016. However on February 1st, UCL Arts Presidents were informed the theatre, which can currently hold a capacity of 547, will remain closed until 2018.

In an open-letter to UCL management, current and former students have expressed their concern this could lead to long-term issues for the performing arts at UCL. Without access to a theatre,  the UCLU Stage Crew Society will find it hard to train up new stage-hands and will also have a dampening effect on people hoping to participate in the performing arts.

The open letter demands UCL management maintain a constant dialogue with UCLU about the building works, that they publicly promise for Bloomsbury to re-open in 2018, that a replacement venue be found for the next Bloomsbury season 2016-7 and that UCL maintains its commitment to the arts and the importance of extracurricular activities.

There has also been a petition set up with the same demands which has already attracted over 500 signatures from students and alumni alike.

Matt Aldridge, head of UCLU Drama Society thinks closing Bloomsbury will “be disastrous” for the UCL arts community, telling The Tab: “UCL has a thriving arts scene, some of the best student performing arts societies in the country and absolutely no dedicated space to perform.

“This is another blow in the repeated hammering of arts at UCL, by UCL – it will put off prospective students and diminish student life at UCL. We have a proud history of fostering avant-garde thinking and powerful creativity which will fall away, like the arts community, to join UCL’s pitiful student satisfaction ratings.”

A protest took place in the quad yesterday and a meeting took place earlier this afternoon where Simon Cane, Director of Public and Cultural Engagement, said the university were “blindsided” by the asbestos discovery and said: “In the short term we will look at using the Bloomsbury studio, we’ll make sure that from today all students will be involved with the discussion.”

However, much to the dismay of the society members in the room, he also suggested Bloomsbury Theatre may not be returned to it’s former “West-end standard” and the university will have a discussion with students about their needs as to whether a theatre of such capacity, both in terms of size and technicality, is necessary, though he stressed that the consultation process would be “as inclusive as possible.”