The Palace Theatre, a vibrant local theatre in Paignton
The Palace Theatre is owned by Torbay council but run by the powerhouse team at Jazz Hands- a community interest company.
Maureen and her team have been running the theatre for 2 years and put on some incredible productions for the locals of Paignton however, like all other venues around the UK, had to close and cancel all shows during the pandemic.
They have kept going though and have delighted their customers through fun on social media, lighting and decorating the windows over Christmas and doing wreath making masterclasses. The Palace Theatre is so much more to the local community than just a venue.
Their story:
Maureen says “ closing the theatre was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, I shed a lot of tears. We have had to move shows, cancel tickets etc each time a new lockdown has been announced. Everyone from customers to the acts themselves have been so understanding”
The team managed to do a couple of events in the last year such as a charity concert and their community event dance festival, good rapport with audiences through digital activity and emails to punters first they would know first.
Maureen is on a first name basis with her audience and customers know her senior management team is always around. Customers have been donating jam jars for a top secret project the team has been working on, ready to be unveiled soon to guests as soon as they can reopen.
Maureen adds “we have also done a fair bit of fundraising, we have a go fund me going and had a lot of support from Sports England. We have been using the theatre for dance schools, in between the lockdowns such as ‘finding your feet’ sessions encouraging older people to do dance and movement”
“closing the theatre was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, I shed a lot of tears. We have had to move shows, cancel tickets etc each time a new lockdown has been announced. Everyone from customers to the acts themselves have been so understanding”
How can you support them:
You can support the theatre by booking tickets for the latest shows when they are open or by donating to their go fund me page. All information can be found on their website however Maureen is a regular on Facebook and Instagram so check their social channels out for up to date information.
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Check out The Palace Theatre live along with other local businesses here in Paignton’s High Street Guide and see who else you can discover in Paignton #shoplocal #paignton
