The director of a beloved theatre in Bromley says she hopes the elected MP at the upcoming General Election is as “passionate as can be” about the arts.
The Churchill Theatre in Bromley is a prominent cultural venue, known for hosting a diverse array of performances, including West End musicals, drama, comedy, dance and children's shows.
Opened in 1977, it has become a cornerstone of the local arts scene and boasts a modern auditorium with excellent acoustics and comfortable seating.
Ahead of the upcoming General Election, director Lorna Strawson said she hopes whoever is elected is a “supporter of the arts and as passionate as can be about theatre".
To maintain the strong relationship between the Churchill Theatre and the local community, Lorna expressed a desire for increased funding for programs aimed at local young people and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with support from both local and national governments.
She said: “We want to continue growing our community programmes to reach as many people as possible.
“Engagement in the arts is hugely valuable to so many people and we'd love the opportunity to increase our offerings even more.”
Before working at Churchill, Lorna was the theatre director at Dartford Theatre, and said her current staff of 140 people are passionate about Bromley and proud to be part of the local tapestry.
Lorna added: “We also work with the Business Improvement District (BID) and are consistently involved in conversations about the improvement of the town centre, as well as being part of their events programme.
“The Churchill loves taking part in local events like Make Music Day and London Festival of Architecture, as well as welcoming the public during many themed trails for children throughout the town.”
Lorna said the beloved theatre supports local artists and performers by offering programmes for young people, as well as co-producing shows with local artists which get put on in the theatre's studio space.
The co-productions are somewhat of a “hidden gem” at the Churchill, Lorna said, ranging from shows for children to hard hitting plays about societal issues.
The Churchill is facing challenges of increasing energy costs, increasing running costs and the cost-of-living crisis is affecting both the theatre and its customers.
She added: “At the moment, our biggest challenge is trying our very best to make sure the increasing costs behind the scenes are reflected as little as possible on our customers to make the theatre as accessible as possible, to as many people as possible.”
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