Saddened by loss of Summer Show (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

Saddened by loss of Summer Show

12:17pm Tuesday 24th March 2009

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AS a frequent visitor to Clacton I am amazed to hear that the Westcliff Theatre will not be staging a summer show this year. At a time when most seaside towns are trying to promote their holiday image, I would have thought that losing the summer show would have been the last thing allowed to happen.

A summer show is an amenity for holiday makers and Clacton is supposedly a town for summer holiday destination.

Not only is a summer show an amenity and a leisure activity, it is a source of work for professional entertainers, stage and front of house staff. The decision not to stage a summer show displays a compete disregard for the people who work at the theatre, the people who live in Clacton and holiday visitors.

Seaside towns such as Margate, Eastbourne, Bournemouth and Cromer realise the value of a summer show and they willingly promote and in some cases, subsidise a summer show. Why is Clacton so different? Is it because it is unable to afford the upkeep of such an valuable amenity or is because they think that they do not need a summer show? Why are the ‘powers that be’ unable to realise that the lack of a seaside show is yet another nail in the coffin of this seaside town?

The history of the Westcliff Theatre goes back many years. There has always been a summer show at this theatre - show managers such as Bunny Baron, Francis Golightly and John Warwick have kept the theatre open by presenting a summer production show, sometimes at great cost to themselves. Why oh why can Clacton not give something back to the town and to its summer visitors by keeping the Westcliff Theatre open for its traditional summer show?

Ken Joy.

Sittingbourne.

Kent.

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