00:00Together for Backstreet Theatre Company!
00:03Time to open!
00:15Hello, I'm James McMirovich and I'm here at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock.
00:19Tonight is the final show. It's a performance of eight different community groups from around Cannock.
00:24We've just been inside speaking to some of the people about what the theatre means to them.
00:29Obviously their sadness about it closing and the work that they're trying to do is to keep the theatre alive in Cannock.
00:34So let's go and see what people had to say.
00:37Good to go.
00:38Okay, so tell me about your thoughts when you found out that the theatre was going to be closing.
00:42Well it's disheartening really because we are a family here.
00:45It doesn't matter if you're in one side or another. We are a family. We are a community.
00:50And it's going to affect all of us.
00:53And we live and breathe musical theatre. Even if it's just a hobby or an actual passion or a job at ourselves.
01:00It affects all of us because now we've got nowhere to go to perform upcoming shows.
01:05We're all struggling to find somewhere to carry on our dream and our hope.
01:11What have been your experiences of performing here and working here?
01:15Obviously performing is just amazing. Once you're on that stage it's just incredible.
01:21You're playing all sorts of characters. You're on and off stage.
01:25I've been performing since year four at school. I've been here for numerous years with different societies.
01:31I've been part of Backstreet since 2019 when we did Wedding Singer here.
01:37But obviously the last few years I've been helping other societies.
01:40So I helped Ray Knowles a couple of times backstage.
01:43And I've also helped with Cannock Drama Society as well.
01:46We all just come together and we all just help each other when we can, we do.
01:50I suppose that's the thing about this place. It's somewhere that's just brought you so many different memories.
01:54It is though. I've come and seen shows here.
01:56Like if I'm not on stage or backstage I support other societies.
02:00I've seen like other tribute bands and different shows and pantos.
02:06We all support. That's the thing. It's the heart of Cannock it is.
02:09It's local for anyone.
02:11And it's, as we've said, it's the last night for the community groups to come in and be able to perform here.
02:17It's like you said, it's a real loss to them isn't it?
02:19It is. It's upsetting. Emotions are going to run high tonight it is.
02:23It's because we're hoping it is not final curtains.
02:26We're hoping once it's closed, the fight, there's some amazing people are fighting for us.
02:32And the community has got behind us with a petition and that.
02:36And it's such a shame. It's not just us that's closed.
02:38It's the museum that's closed as well, which is a part of history.
02:42And that's the thing about it as well, that Cannock is losing things.
02:46Do you feel that it's losing a lot of its cultural scenes results?
02:49I think it is as well, but it's going to affect all the local businesses.
02:52It's like when we perform here in breaks, we use like local facilities.
02:57Obviously, if it's the pub or we go shopping or whatever, they're losing our business as well because we're not here as well.
03:04Because a lot of people, like families that come and see us, they probably go for a drink and food beforehand or afterwards.
03:10We meet at the pub after to celebrate what we have achieved and talk about the shows.
03:15Because that's what we do once we finish a show.
03:17We're a day in the pub. We are. We're talking about it, having a laugh and joke.
03:21Things have gone wrong. It's part of the family, but we are one big family here.
03:27It is. It doesn't matter if you're on stage, off stage or supporting us. We are a family and we are a community.
03:32Yeah, okay. So tell me your thoughts when you found out that the theatre was closing.
03:36So we were devastated when we heard the news last November that the theatre was going to close.
03:42We've used this theatre now for the last ten years as a company.
03:47We come here once a year. A lot of our colleague companies come here twice a year.
03:53So it's a big venue for people. It was a real shock when we heard it was going to close.
03:59And you've had a lot of experiences of performing here, I suppose, in the past as well.
04:02Yeah, so right from when I was a kid at school.
04:05We used to bring school shows here and then right through to the adult company that we're with now, Brown Hills Musical Theatre Company.
04:11So we're here once a year.
04:14And within that, the community, obviously the community of groups who use this place, what's been the overall reaction?
04:20You've said devastation. Has there been sort of thoughts about what's next?
04:24Yeah, we kind of galvanised a group quite quickly after the initial announcement.
04:29So there's a group that's been convened and we've registered as a charity.
04:34We've kind of chased theatre trusts and there's five trustees on one of those trustees.
04:38And we're working quite closely with the council, really positively now, in terms of looking at taking this on as a community ownership,
04:45as an asset for the community for future generations.
04:48And if you can do that, do you think it can secure the cultural future within Canary?
04:52Definitely, yeah, without a doubt.
04:54And the business model that we're looking at is exactly that.
04:58It's making sure that we cater for all of the user groups that currently use the Prince of Wales now,
05:03that keep it full, keep the theatre full every night.
05:06And what's some of your best memories here?
05:08Probably Adam's Family when we did in 2016.
05:13That's one of my favourite shows.
05:15That was a really feel-good show.
05:17You know, a big company show.
05:20Yeah, you and me, we can light on the stars.
05:24If you stay when we go, we can rule the world.
05:31Yeah, you and me, we can light on the stars.
05:36If you stay by my side, we can rule the world.
05:46So what were your thoughts when you found out that the theatre was going to close?
05:49It was awful, really.
05:51It was heartbreaking.
05:52You know, we spend our lives here and a lot of people have done from a very early age.
05:59It was soul-destroying for people when people use this as a means of an outlet
06:04in terms of experience that joy of theatre, really, and the arts and culture element as well.
06:10Was that the same for yourself, Greg?
06:12Yeah, I didn't come into theatre until I was in my thirties,
06:15but the people I was surrounded with have been coming here since they were five years old.
06:19There's dance groups which have been coming here since they were, like, tiny, tiny, two, three upwards.
06:26And new dance groups coming through. They all perform here.
06:30And that's one of the things that I've been speaking to with some of the groups in there.
06:33They've said how much the community depends on a place like this.
06:36Definitely. And it's not just, like Greg said, there's so many people in the community,
06:41but it's also generations as well.
06:43We see all these people that come through as dance students and performing arts school students
06:48for the likes of, like, M3 Studios and Class 1 Dance.
06:51And they go through the ranks and they get all their professional status and everything.
06:56And then you see their children coming through as well,
06:58and the parents are there chaperoning and everything.
07:00And it becomes a really big, you know, joyous occasion for people to come to the theatre
07:06and not just perform, but the sort of the camaraderie backstage as well
07:12and that community spirit that we all get as well.
07:42You get a lot of ex-professional people coming back to the area.
07:48They join in with the amateur groups.
07:50Or you get different people through different stages through different groups
07:53who go on to become professional.
07:55We now have a couple of them in London there, don't we?
07:58Who've performed with us from little to...
08:00And they've moved on. Without this theatre, there's nowhere to perform.
08:05And assuming this is the end and this is going to close and we're not going to be able to come back,
08:10what are some of your fond memories of this?
08:13For myself, I've sort of been coming since I was five, six years old, performing, dancing.
08:21And then from about 15, 16 coming here to do work experience through school.
08:27It's been part of my life the whole, you know, sort of 30 years really.
08:32And I can't see how it will be without this theatre.
08:38How I can actually sort of day to day and not cope without it being here.
08:43It really is a lifeline for a lot of other people as well.
08:46It's a wrench isn't it?
08:47It is, yeah.
08:48I had never even sung on karaoke until I started to do theatre.
08:52I got brought in by these wonderful people.
08:55And this for me, it's a dream.
08:58It's a platform for me to be something incredible.
09:02And it has made me who I am today.
09:05It's given me confidence.
09:06It's really made me a better person.
09:09You have to share.
09:10You spend time with people.
09:11You learn about people.
09:13The good, the bad.
09:14You know, when you spend this much time together, you become family.
09:18And not just one group.
09:19It's all the groups together.
09:21And on the flip side of that, and not from a performer's perspective,
09:24but from an audience member's perspective.
09:26We had the overtones in the building last night.
09:29Sold out tickets.
09:31And the atmosphere in there, it was absolutely buzzing.
09:35You know, you felt the energy in the room.
09:38And it's just, it's such an experience to stand there and watch over 400 people
09:43just having the night of their lives.
09:45You know, it's, you can't get better Friday night than that.
09:48And it will affect the schools as well, because you've got Kingsmead.
09:51They've got the theatre.
09:52They've got great set up.
09:54They've put on fantastic shows.
09:56This is the next level.
09:58The country and the area will really struggle not having this next level to go to.
10:04You'll find people just walk away from theatre, from dance, from a lot of things.
10:09It's such a shame.
10:28You'll never walk alone.
10:38You'll never walk alone.
10:44You'll never walk alone.
10:57Thankyou.
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