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arts centre - 2006/04/14 23:48I have been approached by a number of people in Lewes to see if there is any scope in our proposals to include a concert venue or other type of arts venue and it has occured to me that the proposed three screen cinema could be adapted to include a purpose built 300 seat performance venue that is currently lacking in Lewes and still accomodate two cinema screens. There is a blueprint for this type of venue in London called the Riverside studios. I would be very grateful if any interested parties could discuss this with me before we submit our plans as I feel this may well work. Also if the people who run the cinema at the All Saints might like to get involved I would like to hear from them. We see the area around the cinema as being an arts focused area with Gallery and LIve Work Houses so this would fit in well. The performance venue could be flexible enough to cover all sorts of music and drama performance, from Live rock music to classical, drama to comedy. I can be contacted by email on charlesstyle@gmail.com
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C M Darcy
Re:arts centre - 2006/04/19 17:36How interesting that it has suddenly “occurred” to Charles Styles that we too could have a venue like the Riverside in Hammersmith. The Riverside Studios were converted from an established film studio and this work was only made possible after three years of planning and entirely dependent on funding from the Arts Council and Hammersmith Borough Council. Despite some lottery funding for recent capital expenditure on the building the Riverside still relies heavily on continued Arts Council support for running costs.
If Mr Styles is in any way sincere in this suggestion why has the offer been made just weeks before his planning application is submitted and not at the outset of the three years in which he has been preparing the plans? Such a venue would obviously be welcomed in Lewes but Mr Styles is perfectly safe in making the suggestion it as it has no chance of happening. Our local council barely has sufficient funds to keep the Pells afloat and South East Arts would never entertain the idea of funding another venue so close to the Gardner centre.
Even if funding was found, a performance venue has very different infrastructure needs from a cinema. For a start, the necessary revenue is heavily dependent on bar takings so from the outset the application will need to include a sizeable bar and foyer space before even entering into the very specific backstage requirements. It is alarming that any outline planning application will be sufficiently vague to allow for such major changes. If this is the case, what other changes might be possible?
I know I am not alone in finding this as just another patronising and cynical ploy to capture the hearts and minds of residents by flinging down golden apples to distract us from examining the fundamental desirability of such an enormous development which will radically affect the character of the town.
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charles style
Re:arts centre - 2006/04/19 21:17Right, well let's forget that idea then. Anything positive to say about anything Mr Darcy or is it all doom gloom and cynicism
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Lucy D.
Re:arts centre - 2006/04/22 01:33It seems from this response that C M Darcy is correct. Isn't Screen On The Green supposed to be interested in this site, how are they going to feel about turfing all their customers out in the middle of Harry Potter, because the Lewes Dance group need to rehearse? Or is Screen On The Green just a name that was bandied around for credibility?
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charles style
Re:arts centre - 2006/04/22 04:21The screen on the Green people want to take the space for a cinema, that was not mentioned for effect, However I was asked about the possibility of one screen being flexible enough for arts uses,the cynical response to my floating of the idea has totally put me off. It is true that to combine arts use with cinema is not easy but I thought it worth floating the idea the feedback has been disappointing so we will probably stick to our original plan. Any positive ideas on this would be appreciated
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R Williams
Re:arts centre - 2006/04/26 14:27First I've heard about the direction this cinema is likely to take. Something like The Screen On The Green or The Duke of York (Brighton) would go down extremely well in Lewes and if this is the definite plan it should be given wider publicity.
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