Drama group enraged (From Barry And District News)

Drama group enraged

THE PRINCIPAL of Barry's leading amateur dramatic group - Billboard Ensemble - has hit out at the managers of the Memorial Hall Theatre, claiming they are more interested in profits than providing a service to the local community.

Jonathan Coombs has told the Barry & District News that he believes the Hall's management team favours businesses over non-profit groups, like themselves, when it comes to hiring out the premises. He said: "I find their attitude very unhelpful and unco-operative.

"We have had terrible trouble securing our dates of hire for December 2006, and we have had no guarantee that we can have any dates in December 2007 either, as we believe the venues manager wants to organise corporate events and dinner dances."

And he added: "The management should be reminded what the Hall was built for, and for whom it was built.

"Surely local non-profit making groups, like Bill-board, should have a fair look at the calendar and not just be slotted in around what management wants."

Mr Coombs also criticised the Hall's policy not to open the bar at the end of performances by Billboard.

He said: "The Memorial Hall now operates a policy that they will not open the bar after a performance.

"Billboard had a letter from the venue's manager and the chairman of the trustees, stating that even though we had requested the bar facilities, and were willing to pay extra to have the bar open, we were still refused.

"We were told Billboard doesn't take enough money over the bar to justify having it open - even though we were willing to pay extra."

He added: "We've used the Memorial Hall for the past ten years and have seen the facilities get worse - we once operated our own tuck shop, but this was also stopped because the management wanted a 15 percent cut on everything we sold."

Barry resident Maria Jones, of Coleridge Crescent, agrees with Mr Coombs.

She said: "I was concerned about the facilities available to patrons during Billboard's recent production of Annie Get Your Gun.

"I was disappointed to find that there was no decent tuck shop available for the children visiting the theatre, but my biggest shock was that at the end of the production, there was no bar available.

"I visit the theatre often, and have never experienced this before. The Memorial Hall promotes itself as a theatre, but does not provide the normal facilities a theatre provides."