Park Theatre Get Free office Space as Celebrity Cast Preps Fundraising performance

Like too many arts venues, Finsbury Park's much loved Park Theatre is always looking for ways to ensure it keeps raising the curtain. The theatre needs to fundraise over £250,000 a year just to stay open, and receives no public subsidy. 

The theatre's new neighbours, the Coalface co-working space, has offered to help out by providing an office which will be used by the theatre as a flexible, private space for some of its 15-strong team – something that the theatre cannot currently afford.

Coalface boss, Jonathan Hausmann, explains the decision: “During a meeting with Park Theatre, I noticed that the team were operating out of a pretty small office and, knowing the incredible work they do, wanted to help out."

Rachael Williams of the Park Theatre, commented: “We now have 15 people working together to run the theatre and we are pretty packed in – and the lack of space actually limits our potential to hire more people. Some of the team work from home, but it can be impractical as we really need everyone on site at times. We are really grateful for the office. For a charity like us, this will make a huge difference.”

In the meantime, the theatre is preparing to present a special fundraising run of WHODUNNIT [UNREHEARSED], where a host of celebrity guest performers will take it in turns to join the rehearsed cast of a scripted murder mystery – without having seen a script, and with no direction at all aside from a hidden earpiece on the night.

All of the celebrity actors – who include Gillian Anderson, Simon Callow, Jim Broadbent and Joanna Lumley – are offering their services free of charge, to support the theatre’s fundraising efforts.

If you'd like to help keep this much-loved local asset a part of the local scene, book up and have some fun.