Comments from swainy

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swainy
swainy commented about Crescent Cinema on Jun 19, 2010 at 3:24 am

Hi Carousel10, yes we actually had a look inside. One of the workmen showed us around. The owner has started to rent out the old ballrooms to a dance teacher, and she told us that the cinema was in a better state that we thought, so we telephoned the owner and had a look! If you can ask around as soon as you can as I know some grant deadlines are coming up at the end of this month. We have not yet been able to find anyone who would be willing to do this favour for us unfortunately. Thanks

swainy
swainy commented about Crescent Cinema on Jun 17, 2010 at 8:34 am

My partner and I have recently had a look around the Crescent Cinema and we feel it has real potential for being converted into a theatre through the use of various grants. We are an amateur theatre group based in Pontefract and have ideas on how we could go about making the necessary alterations. The owner does not want to invest in the place but has no restrictions or issues on what is done to it. At this early stage, we need some free advice from an architect or retired architect who can tell us whether the changes needed are feasible (as we are no experts on architecture!). Can anyone help or point us in the right direction please?

swainy
swainy commented about Crescent Cinema on Mar 14, 2010 at 10:40 am

Thanks for the information – it seems from people’s comments that using the Crescent cinema as a theatre venue would not be possible, which is a shame. Regarding the comments made by ‘Carousel10’, if you’re interested in getting involved in our amateur theatre group, then I suggest you first have a look at our website, which is www.ticketybootheatre.co.uk We rehearse two nights per week and are performing a play in April at Thornycroft (some know it as CISWO) on Halfpenny Lane. On the website there is an email address and telephone number if you would like to know more or would like to arrange to pop down to a rehearsal to meet us.

swainy
swainy commented about Crescent Cinema on Aug 15, 2009 at 4:12 am

My partner and I have recently started an amateur theatre group based in Pontefract and we would love to be able to stage productions at the Crsecent cinema on Ropergate. The ‘to let’ sign for the cinema has been there for months now and I would imagine the rent is very high, too high for non profit-making organisations. You would think that once a building has been empty for so long, that it could be offered at a cheaper price for community groups. It would be great to have a theatre in Pontefract where other groups and maybe even touring companies could perform. It’s such a waste to think of it rotting away empty. Does anyone know who owns it now – council or private? It’s not that we mind putting the work in to update the venue, it’s the cost of buying or hiring the premises in the first place. I have heard of lottery grants allowing venues to be transformed for public/community use. Anyone any thoughts on any of this?