UEA’s ‘unsafe’ Drama Studio closed for performances until further notice due to roof damage

The building received damage from heavy rain fall

2 years ago

University of East Anglia’s Drama Studio will be closed until further notice as a performance venue due to damage to the building.

The building received sufficient damage after heavy rainfall after the Christmas break and will be closed whilst maintenance work is under way.

Originally, students were informed the building would be closed all together, including as a teaching space, for the entirety of the academic year as the building was “unsafe”.

In an email sent to all drama students on 13th January, the university said: “This will have a big impact on drama modules but we are working on measures to ensure we can still deliver all our teaching to normal standards.”

However, in a follow up email sent two weeks later on 27th January the university confirmed that after further investigation, all teaching could “safely” take place in the Studio but that it remained closed as a public venue so no performances can take place.

Students must now enter the building via the side and backstage entrances rather than the main entrance.

The auditorium is a premier performance space that holds up to 200 seats and is used by the BA Drama students and drama societies for assessments and productions.

Gracie Barlow, welfare officer of the Minotaur Theatre Company spoke of how the news will affect the society going forward: “For a lot of us drama is cathartic and we should be allowed to access it easily.”