Read All The Latest Artistic News For September
Our last production, One Man, Two Guvnors, was almost a sell-out and the theatre rocked with laughter. Of course we all know that the production only had one ‘guvnor’ really, Craig Shelton, who directed what has become a classic comedy piece, and he wrestled with all the challenges this play presents to make it look effortless. Our thanks to his entire company for delivering such a brilliant piece of work.
The cast survived the physicality of it all and enjoyed themselves as much as the audience. “A palpable hit” as a well known playwright once remarked, both artistically and financially.
Financially this was particularly important since as soon as the play came down the theatre closed to the public and became a building site.
The theatre embarked on the largest and most expensive renovation project in its 104 year history. The roof and the HVAC systems are all being replaced and the work is still cracking on as I write. Most of the roof has been replaced and the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems have landed on the top of the roof, via cranes, to be installed. We are on track and mercifully on budget as we aim towards reopening the theatre on 23rd September for the first night of Middle by David Eldridge, which commences our autumn programme.
Our thanks to those of you who have generously donated precious funds to us to help soften the blow of a bill totally in excess of £560,000. You have contributed to helping this theatre continue to be the only independent live theatre company in Leamington, putting on a programme of work which we hope continues to delight and inspire.
Next up is the second in the trilogy of plays by David Eldridge about relationships. Viki Betts directed Beginning last September to the greatest acclaim and now she is back in the director’s chair directing Middle. This is a special and exquisite piece of writing, clever, funny and heartbreaking. David Eldridge never tell you what to think; he leaves the audience to debate and decide. Marvellous…..and what we as a theatre company seek when we select great writing for our stage. The cast have been working on what is tantamount to a building site for weeks now and eaten large quantities of dust, so please dust yourselves down too after the summer break and come and support them during the run and experience the new, comfortable environment of the theatre. There is a fair amount of re-decorating, cleaning and tidying to be done before we see you.
Immediately after the end of the run, on Sunday 4 October, we shall be presenting a one off concert called fittingly One Enchanted Evening. This will celebrate the American musical geniuses of the first half of the 20th Century – Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Rodgers and Hart. These were the decades which defined musical theatre and were pivotal in making musical history. If you came to our special concert celebrating the life of Stephen Sondheim, this is an evening you won’t want to miss. The amazing singers are already warming up for you. The super talented James Suckling as Musical Director is sharpening his baton. Tickets are selling very fast, so if you want to be there you must book very soon.
The details of the rest of our autumn programme are on the website and the first quarter of 2027 is also announced.Read all about what is ahead to entice you.
Finally, in the week of his funeral, I want to pay tribute to my husband Richard Moore. My colleagues at the Loft have already posted such wonderfully heartwarming comments about him and a beautiful tribute was also put online. I have been completely overwhelmed with the amount of cards, personal time, gifts and words that have enveloped me. Artistically Richard made the most extraordinary contribution to the Loft covering over 50 years. He relished being an actor and a director and part of the leadership team of the theatre, but once he became Head of Set Design, he really flourished in a different way and you will all have the evidence of that in the countless sets you have witnessed every year for the last 30 years. He always felt that you had to ensure that the set design and the actors looked as if they were meant to be together. We do not have the massive budgets that the professional theatre has, not do we build sets like the West End do, which are intended to exist for many months and sometimes years. He designed and built sets which were to come and go within weeks and then it was on to the next. Once built and before the run of the show was over, he would be designing the next. Always looking forward. I miss him and we shall all miss him. Unique Richard.
Please come and see the September show as a tribute to his work and the theatre he loved.
SUE MOORE : ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
SEPTEMBER 2026
