Category Archives: The Wreck

Turmoil at Fairfield Halls as operating company suffers exodus

Posted on November 1, 2022 by insidecroydon

Our culture correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on changing times at the council-owned arts centre, and a diamond anniversary that has been forgotten by the council There’s yet more turmoil behind the scenes at the Fairfield Halls, where the chief executive and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jon Workman, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, The Wreck, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

There’s A Bit Of A Do going on in Croydon’s Front Room

Posted on October 2, 2022 by insidecroydon

There is going to be A Bit of A Do in Croydon later this month. Ahead of Croydon’s turn as London’s Borough of Culture (details of which we await with bated breath), the Drunken Chorus Theatre Company sets out its … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Comedy, Dance, Music, The Front Room, The Wreck, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayor has weeks to save Fairfield Halls and Borough of Culture

Posted on June 2, 2022 by insidecroydon

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Not for the first time, questions were better than the answers

Posted on April 29, 2022 by insidecroydon

And with a week to election day, the last of the set-piece hustings was staged at The Wreck at the Fairfield Halls last night. KEN TOWL, pictured right, went along, so that you wouldn’t have to… So what did we … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Fairfield Halls, Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, The Wreck, Val Shawcross, Winston McKenzie | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Bafta-winner Scanlan joins calls for new bosses at arts centre

Posted on April 26, 2022 by insidecroydon

‘Things are far from perfick at the Fairfield ‘Alls’ says the award-winning actress who plays Ma Larkin, as the campaign to sack BHLive gathers momentum. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Joanna Scanlan, the BAFTA award-winning actress, has called on Croydon Council … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Music, The Wreck, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The grand scandal at the centre of Fairfield’s absurd saga

Posted on April 3, 2022 by insidecroydon

Arts correspondent BELLA BARTOCK solves the mystery of the vanishing grand pianos, and discovers more scandal at the council-owned arts venue The Fairfield Halls, following its shambolic and costly refurbishment, is now an arts centre without an art gallery, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon Philharmonic Choir, Fairfield Halls, Music, The Wreck | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

£67m arts centre – with no art gallery and few performances

Posted on March 31, 2022 by insidecroydon

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

READER OFFER: Win tickets for Scouting For Girls at Fairfield

Posted on October 20, 2021 by insidecroydon

Inside Croydon is delighted to be able to offer a pair of tickets for next month’s concert by Scouting For Girls at the Fairfield Halls, when up-and-coming band Aliensdontringdoorbells will be the support act. This fabulous competition is open exclusively … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Fairfield Halls, Inside Croydon, Music, The Wreck | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘The damage to the Fairfield Halls reputation is severe’

Posted on September 9, 2021 by insidecroydon

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Cultural hopes are raised as Talawa and Nick Cave take a bow

Posted on September 7, 2021 by insidecroydon

Two shows staged at the borough’s major arts centre over the weekend helped to underline how precious the Fairfield Halls should be for Croydon. If only the artistic programme on offer more generally could rise to the local public’s expectations, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Music, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Council has no answers over missing Fairfield Halls sculpture

Posted on August 29, 2021 by insidecroydon

Croydon’s crass council has been accused of another act of cultural vandalism, after “losing” a significant piece of mid-century street art from the site alongside the “award-winning” (try not to laugh) Fairfield Halls. The art installation, in a modernist, geometric … Continue reading →

Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Oliver Lewis, The Wreck | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Millions of questions for BHLive over Fairfield grant aid

Posted on July 29, 2021 by insidecroydon

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 , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Council to pick up £69.2m costs of failed Fairfield Halls refurb

Posted on May 11, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall correspondent, KEN LEE, on the latest council bail-out for Brick by Brick over the bungled and unfinished refurbishment of the borough’s major arts centre Croydon’s cash-strapped council is to step in and pick up another … Continue reading →

Posted in Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Chris Buss, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, The Wreck, Urban Splash | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Virus sees council turn Fairfield into a £43m rehearsal space

Posted on July 12, 2020 by insidecroydon

Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, reports on how the council has belatedly come up with a handful of measures to see the Fairfield Halls at least partially come out of its covid-induced ‘hibernation’ A month after the venue management laid … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, BH Live, Dance, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Music, Oliver Lewis, Savvy Theatre Company, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Frank Turner’s Fairfield convention has the crowd on their feet

Posted on March 9, 2020 by insidecroydon

Frank Turner’s cult following got a chance to see him play in Croydon for the first time on Friday as he delivered the Wreck’s first sold-out live gig, and GRAY DORIAN was there to witness it “SOLD OUT”. Outside the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fairfield Halls, Music, Scream Lounge, The Wreck | Tagged , , | 1 Comment