Cash for a Shot Tin Roof: rain threatens to stop plays at Yard Theatre

Crowds watch a performance at Hackney Wick's Park Theatre

A groundbreaking stage space is under threat unless it can raise £10,000 needed to insulate its roof.

The Yard Theatre in White Post Lane, Hackney Wick, has spent the last two years blazing a trail with its unique model of support for aspiring talent.

It is relying on public donations to secure the £10,000 needed to revamp its dilapidated tin roof and keep the cold out for a longer annual production season.

So far it has raised £4,500 from 21 different donors – including a single anonymous donation of £2,000 – but owing to crowd-funding rules if it does not bag the whole amount by 31 July it will not receive a penny.

The fully sustainable sheep’s wool insulation to be fitted is the equivalent of 8,000 fleeces.

Weather dependency has had a significant negative impact on the theatre’s revenue stream.

Yard Theatre spokeswoman Tamara Moore said shutting out the cold was vital for the venue’s for long-term sustainability.

She said: “Closing for up to four months means we have no income through the theatre or the bar, meaning we cannot support the team full time, and many have to find short-contract work elsewhere.

“In terms of our artistic ambitions the issue we have is re-opening again. It’s difficult to maintain a presence within the wider community when we’re closed, and effectively having to ‘re-launch’ every year takes an enormous amount of effort.

“It also limits our ability to grow as so much of our resources are pumped into simply letting people know we’re once again open for business.”

Lucy Oliver-Harrison, executive producer the venue, is concerned about the impact the lack of heating is having on repeat custom.

She said: “We want as many people as possible to come to the Yard and enjoy it but people are more reluctant to stick around when the ceiling’s leaking. It’s detrimental when people’s first experience is being cold in the bar.

“We want every aspect of the theatre to be an experience and we don’t want being cold to become first customer’s lasting impression.”

She said the theatre is working to level the financial playing field for people making their first tentative steps into world of the performing arts.

The Yard started out as a pop-up venture and was originally intended to run for just three months. But owing to a warm reception and the ambition of those involved it subsequently developed into a more permanent fixture.

A cash injection of £8,000 from the Arts Council marked its official opening in 2011 and it has since staged 69 productions, and had over 10,000 visitors.

It is currently a month into its Generation Game production run which features 100 performances over 10 weeks.

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