email: derbyplayhouse@hotmail.co.uk |
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Notice is hereby given that, following the discharge of the company from Administration on 18th May 2009, the following Meetings will be held at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 22nd July 2009 in Meeting Room 2 at the Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, Kedleston Road Campus.There is ample car parking at the University in the evenings and bus services directly onto the campus as well as services passing on Kedleston Road. The Multi-Faith Centre is located just in front of the main entrance to the University towers.The meeting will comprise the AGM for 2006-07, the AGM for 2007-08 and an SGM for the current year, in order to comply with the requirements of both Companies House and the Charity Commission for the filing of Reports and Accounts, as well as to conduct necessary other business.Any former Member, employee, or supporter who wishes to be able to vote at the Meeting, is hereby invited to apply for Membership by application to the Chairman. Note that nominations for election to the Board must be received by the Chairman 14 days before the Meeting. (The Board may make good any deficiency in numbers by co-option, until the AGM for 2008-9 which will be held in September.)... ******NEWS UPDATE******On 12th May the University of Derby announced that it had signed an agreement with the Derby City Council Derby Live programme to manage Derby Playhouse which will be renamed as Derby Theatre. We are, of course, all disappointed that the University has not chosen Derby Playhouse Ltd to manage the theatre for them. We had proposed to help develop a new model for training in theatre arts, which we believe would have helped to ensure that the University became the place of choice for such work in the English speaking world. Derby Playhouse was declared closed on 29th November 2007 just before the Opening Night of the Christmas Show, Treasure Island - but the cast and the staff refused to leave. The appointed liquidators went home and brought their families to the show, and that evening there was a packed, emotional, “first and last performance” filmed by BBC Television. It has been an extraordinary eighteen months fighting to save the theatre and the company, and there have been significant achievements. Treasure Island set a new record for a Christmas Show – and gained a 5***** review in The Guardian. By trading on in Administration we discharged over £400,000 of liabilities, and thanks to our efforts, the remaining creditors will now receive much larger repayments than they would have done had we simply given up and the company had been liquidated. We have been conscious of fighting to obtain justice for more than sixty highly skilled and committed professionals who were thrown out of work without notice, just three and a half weeks before Christmas. We have been conscious of fighting to preserve the legacy of sixty years of theatre, and the nationally and internationally acclaimed art which has been produced on the Playhouse stage. We have been conscious of fighting on behalf of the company of members and volunteers, who a decade ago won Derby Playhouse the accolade of “Most Welcoming Theatre in England”, and the thousands upon thousands of other people who have supported us – there still over 4,300 of you on Facebook alone ! None of this would have happened but for the extraordinary continuing commitment of Karen Hebden and especially Stephen Edwards, who instead of being paid as employees have bank-rolled the rescue efforts. As mortgagee in possession Stephen could have followed the professional advice he was given and sold the theatre to a developer prepared to pay a premium price for this prime site. Instead he chose to sell to the University in order to preserve the building for produced theatre for the rest of the century. The University, we know, will ensure that real care is taken of this beloved building. We gain encouragement from the fact that they have asked us to produce work at the theatre. Last November Derby Playhouse Ltd should have been celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. Our formal complaints continue to be investigated, but to understand the story you will need to await the play – the working title "Accidental Death of a Theatre". If eventually we obtain redress for what was done, then we will be back ! *********************************************** UNIVERSITY OF DERBY ACQUIRES THE LEASE OF DERBY PLAYHOUSE20th February 2009 The Board of Derby Playhouse is delighted that an agreement has been reached by Stephen Edwards for the University to acquire the theatre’s lease. This is good news for theatre, it is good news for the creditors and it is good news for Derby. Derby Playhouse is a wonderful building and the University’s proposals will ensure that every nook and cranny is used for its proper purpose. We had established a reputation as one of the country’s leading regional producing theatres; we believe that the University is now set fair to become an international centre of excellence for the theatre arts. We welcome the spirit in which the University wishes to move beyond the difficulties of the past, and we look forward to opportunities for future collaboration. You will recall that at the meeting of creditors in December it was agreed that in the light of the various offers received for the theatre’s lease, Stephen Edwards would lend £45,000 to be charged to the theatre’s lease to cover on-going expenses, pending a final resolution. Despite the vigorous efforts of the Board to obtain lending to fund the Creditors’ Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) it is hardly surprising in the current international financial situation that this has proved impossible. Accordingly the sale of the lease has been agreed by the Administrator and Stephen Edwards. As soon as Derby Playhouse Ltd has formally come out of administration we will be holding two delayed Annual General Meetings to cover the years 2006-7 and 2007-8. Full details will follow in due course. We hope it will be possible to hold these meetings at a venue large enough also to host a reunion for all supporters whether they are formally ‘members’ or not. This will provide an opportunity for catching up with friends and for addressing any questions you may have. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters for everything they have done over the past difficult months to help preserve Derby Playhouse for the people of Derby. You can purchase the double CD of "Moon Landing" from "Dress Circle" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derby Playhouse in Administration Patrick Ellward and Dilip Dattani were appointed Joint Administrators on 30 November 2007. The business and property of Derby Playhouse Ltd is being managed by the joint administrators. Please note that the joint administrators and their staff act as agents of the Company and Contract without personal liability. TENON RECOVERY can be contacted on 0115 9184 323 or by email atl derbyplayhouse.recovery@tenongroup.com.
For further information on Derby Playhouse Ltd contact Stephen Edwards via email - derbyplayhouse@hotmail.co.uk
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