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Category Archives: Neil Chandler
Podcast: Croydon Insider – the Borough of Culture Special
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Boxpark, Croydon Insider, Fairfield Halls, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Neil Chandler, Under The Flyover
Tagged Borough of Culture, Boxpark, Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon FM, Croydon Insider, Emma Hope-Fitch, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, London, Mayor, Neil Chandler, Under The Flyover
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Fairfield Halls struggling to sell tickets for Culture opener
Our veteran arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on the council-owned arts centre’s struggle to win back its old audiences There’s mounting, and justifiable, concern that the Fairfield Halls, despite the best-efforts of its new-ish operators, are failing to win back audiences … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Improvement Board, Music, Neil Chandler, Tony McArdle
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Board, London Mozart Players, Neil Chandler, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Swedish Philharmonia, Tony McArdle
15 Comments
Mayor has weeks to save Fairfield Halls and Borough of Culture
It is symptomatic of BHLive’s lack of real connection with the borough in which they are supposed to manage its largest arts venue that they chose the day of the Croydon local election results to make the announcement of the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Bournemouth, Chris Symons, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Fairfield Halls, Jason Perry, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
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Council ignored £5m offer to revive Fairfield’s reputation
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Moves to take the management of the troubled arts centre out of the hands of Bournemouth-based BHLive are being resisted by Labour politicians. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Senior officials and the Labour cabinet member in charge of … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Music, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Shifa Mustafa, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Phoenix Pianos, Shifa Mustafa, Val Shawcross
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£67m arts centre – with no art gallery and few performances
EXCLUSIVE: The Fairfield Halls fiasco gets worse by the day, with Bournemouth-based venue operators BHLive staging shows on just 24% of available dates. Croydon is supposed to be London’s ‘Borough of Culture’ in 2023… By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon is London’s … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
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Croydon 2021: Macarnage, Fairfield fiasco and dropped Bricks
DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: Summer in south London’s rottenest borough saw simmering scandals over Brick by Brick and the Fairfield Halls fiasco grab national notoriety, and someone at the council finally admitted that the misconceived Westfield scheme was … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", BH Live, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Neil Chandler, Paul Scott, Planning, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Brick by Brick, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hammersfield, Hammerson, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Purley, Tony Newman, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
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‘The damage to the Fairfield Halls reputation is severe’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While the cash-strapped council remains preoccupied with its finances, the once prestigious arts centre on the other side of Park Lane risks sliding towards cultural oblivion. By our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK There are growing concerns that … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, GLL - Better, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
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Millions of questions for BHLive over Fairfield grant aid
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It’s like nothing has ever changed at the borough’s prestigious arts centre, where tribute acts still dominate its sparse programme, while the venue operators are staying schtum about how they’re spending public money. By our arts correspondent, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Neil Chandler, The Wreck
Tagged Arts Council England, Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, The Wreck
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Fairfield Halls’ £70m fiasco: ‘BxB didn’t know what it was doing’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Trade newspaper The Stage has described the five-year saga of the Fairfield Halls refurbishment as a ‘catastrophic mess’ and a ‘£70m fiasco’. Now, the centre’s former artistic director has broken his silence over the bungling of Brick … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dame Judi Dench, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Stage, Tony Newman
17 Comments
Fears grow at Fairfield Halls over operator’s unsigned lease
The Fairfield Halls may be in “hibernation” until next year because of coronavirus, but Croydon Council is now facing another crisis over its ill-fated £43million refurbishment project, with growing fears that the company appointed to manage the arts complex could … Continue reading
80 casual staff laid off as Fairfield Halls goes ‘into hibernation’
EXCLUSIVE: Our unfurloughed arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on dark times for Croydon’s major arts venue Fairfield Halls’ casual staff, who have been furloughed since the arts venue closed its doors for the coronavirus lockdown in March, have been told that … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Theatre, Timothy Godfrey
Tagged Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls
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Facing uncertain future, Fairfield Halls returns all its pianos
The Fairfield Halls had the removal men in yesterday – taking away the arts venue’s pianos. Inside Croydon understands that the pianos – nine in total, including two grand pianos – have been returned to their makers after the venue … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Music, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Neil Chandler, Phoenix Pianos
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Seconds out: Operator hopes wrestling will boost Fairfield Halls
EXCLUSIVE: The art venue’s director quit in a dispute over dumbing down of its programme in a bid to boost ticket sales, reports BELLA BARTOCK, who has discovered that BHLive are recruiting for Neil Chandler’s replacement, but offering a lesser … Continue reading
Fairfield Halls needs to be more London, and less Bournemouth
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Could Brit Awards-winner Stormzy help to save the Fairfield Halls? Following Inside Croydon’s exclusive news report yesterday that Neil Chandler, the venue’s artistic director, had quit amid growing concerns about poor audiences in the first six months since … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Music, Neil Chandler, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Stormzy
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Fairfield Halls director quits less than six months after opening
EXCLUSIVE: A £42.6m white elephant without its mahout? Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, reports on the most dramatic of exits from the Fairfield Halls Neil Chandler has left the building. The Fairfield Halls’ venue and artistic director has left his … Continue reading
‘Lack of trust’ sees arts venue selling just 26% of tickets
With the Fairfield Halls refurbishment costs now confirmed as £42.6m, and still rising, the venue is struggling to win back its audiences, as KEN LEE reports The costs of refurbishing the Fairfield Halls rose by another £1.6million in just five … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Jo Negrini, Neil Chandler, Sean Fitzsimons
Tagged BH Live, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Jo Negrini, Labour, Leila Ben-Hassel, London Borough of Croydon, Neil Chandler, Sean Fitzsimons
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Newman plays a numbers game and exposes his short-comings
Could a Town Hall chamber boast by the bungling council leader have managed to reveal that the Fairfield Halls’ prestigious panto struggled to sell tickets? Oh yes it did… Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, reports Tony Newman gets yet another … Continue reading
Posted in Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Comedy, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Music, Neil Chandler, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Private Eye, Tony Newman
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What’s in a name? Ashcroft Theatre is sign of commonsense
Our arts critic, BELLA BARTOCK, on how pointless meddling with an established venue’s name could be a cause of marketing confusion There’s been something of a victory for commonsense, for the views of local councillors and, it has to be … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Theatre
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Croydon, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler
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Who’d pay £50 to see Barry from accounts as Max Bialystock?
It may be more than a year late in re-opening, and is at least £11million over budget, but that hasn’t stopped the operators at the Fairfield Halls from continuing to pursue their pointless exercise of re-naming the Ashcroft Theatre. Workmen … Continue reading
What a joke! Fairfield bookings open ahead of website launch
Tax-dodger Jimmy Carr is one of a handful of headline acts who will be performing at the Fairfield Halls next year. Provided, of course, that the much-delayed refurbishment project is finished in time. The Fairfield Halls management had promised a … Continue reading
Posted in BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler
Tagged BHLive, Fairfield Halls, Jimmy Carr, Neil Chandler
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Fairfield Halls chief tells councillors not to ask questions
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on how the manager hired to run the Fairfield Halls won’t tolerate questions about the venue from the borough’s elected representatives Neil Chandler, the former cruise ship entertainments officer who has been placed in charge … Continue reading
Joy to the world: Please don’t wreck our Arnhem Gallery
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on a rare outbreak of critical thinking in the council chamber, as one councillor spells out for the Fairfield Halls management the blatant imbecility of one of their proposed name changes At last, a Labour councillor … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Joy Prince, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Arnhem Gallery, Fairfield Halls, Joy Prince, Labour, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Waddon
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Venue manager announces FIFTH opening date for Fairfield
September 16 2019: That’s now the date when the venue managers are telling anyone who is still listening that the Fairfield Halls will re-open. By our reckoning, that’ll will be the fifth re-opening date announced since the Halls, which include … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Neil Chandler, Tony Newman
Tagged BHLive, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, Tony Newman
8 Comments
Now Fairfield operators want to re-name the Ashcroft Theatre
Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on the latest piece of meddling going on around the much-delayed arts venue’s refurbishment Neil Chandler, the former cruise ship entertainments officer who has been placed in charge of the Fairfield Halls’ artistic programme has … Continue reading
People of Arnhem say ‘We won’t change Croydonplein’s name’
The good burghers of Arnhem, Croydon’s twin town in the Netherlands, won’t be changing the name of Croydonplein, the residential square in the town centre, regardless of how the Fairfield Halls might discard part of this borough’s heritage by renaming … Continue reading
