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Category Archives: Ashcroft Theatre
Britain’s biggest children’s book festival is coming to Croydon
Croydon youngsters are to be offered a free day of “bookish fun” at the Ashcroft Theatre in the summer as part of the annual London Schools Literature Festival. The Whitgift Foundation is sponsoring the day’s activities, which will be organised … Continue reading
PANTO WARS! Which is the Beauty? And which is the Beast?
Christmas 2025 has Beauty and the Beast as the seasonal pantomime at the Fairfield Halls. And Beauty and the Beast is also on at the Churchill Theatre, just a short bus ride away in Bromley. Oh yes it is! KEN … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Bromley Council, Churchill Theatre, Comedy, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Music, Theatre
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, Beauty and the Beast, Churchill Theatre, Croydon, EastEnders, Ellie Dadd, Fairfield Halls, Hi De Hi!, Ken Towl, pantomime, Royal Variety Performance, Samantha Womack, Su Pollard
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Fairfield panto star Mia Overfield picks up national stage award
Mia Overfield, star of the Fairfield Halls’ 2024-2025 panto, Snow White and the Five Dwarves, has been named as the winner of the Barbara Windsor Award for Best Principal Lead at this year’s National Pantomime Awards. Overfield, who has a … Continue reading
Top Tory admits Fairfield Halls could be sold for the right deal
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Come on down! The price is right!’ The cabinet member for finance has said that the arts and conference centre could yet be sold if the cash-strapped council is ordered to do so. By STEVEN DOWNES Jason … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Theatre
Tagged 20th Century Society, BH Live, BHLive, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jason Cummings, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
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‘The improvement panel’s general position is to sell everything’
CROYDON COMMENTARY: This website’s editor, STEVEN DOWNES, on why a Mayor who keeps getting caught out in untruths really needs to start being more honest with the borough’s residents If ever there was an example of Mayor Jason Perry “being … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Theatre
Tagged 20th Century Society, Alison Butler, BH Live, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
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Government panel wants Croydon to flog off the Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: With the council’s annual overspend reaching £100m, Whitehall-appointed commissioners could force the sale of the arts centre, which the C20 Society describes as an ‘underappreciated South Bank Centre of the suburbs’. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon could … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Music, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Theatre
Tagged 20th Century Society, Alison Butler, BH Live, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tony Newman, Tory
33 Comments
Surprise visit by the Wicked Queen gets kids excited for panto
While political dwarfs might be in charge at Croydon Town Hall, seven dwarfs took over Croydon Central Library last week, accompanied by a pantomime dame and a wicked queen, as dozens of children were given a special reading session with … Continue reading
Kendo Nagasaki’s return bout could be knock-out for Fairfield
Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on how a geriatric grappler is the latest sign of a declining reputation at the council-owned arts venue The “jewel in the crown” of Croydon Council’s arts offering, the Fairfield Halls, will be used to … Continue reading
Mia Overfield to star as Snow White in Fairfield Halls’ panto
Mia Overfield, most recently seen on stage as Rosa in Cable Street at Southwark Playhouse, will play Snow White in this year’s Croydon panto in the Ashcroft Theatre at the Fairfield Halls from December 13 to January 5. With a … Continue reading
EastEnders actress returns to Croydon as a real panto villain
Croydon’s own Kellie Shirley is to star in this year’s Fairfield Halls panto – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The former EastEnders star, now appearing in BBC hospital drama Casualty, is to play the role of the Wicked Queen … Continue reading
Ashcroft blue plaque revealed at her South Croydon birthplace
Some 33 years after her death, English Heritage has today unveiled a blue plaque for Peggy Ashcroft, probably the most famous actress to have come from Croydon. The unveiling of Dame Peggy’s plaque, at her childhood home, 1A Tirlemont Road … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Cinema, History, Theatre
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, Bertold Brecht, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, David Lean, David Lean Cinema, John Gelgud, Paul Robeson, Peggy Ashcroft, Peter Hall, Peter O'Toole, Royal Shakespeare Company, Samuel Beckett, Sir David Lean, South Croydon, Stratford Upon Avon, The Old Vic, Tirlemont Road, William Shakespeare
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Fairfield Halls left haunted by acts from its more glorious past
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The music-loving public expect better and the venue deserves better than a stream of tribute acts, says KEN TOWL Clive John is a very good singer and he was an engaging presence on the stage of the Ashcroft … Continue reading
Relax! Aladdin has panto performances to suit everyone
A trip to the panto can be a magical experience and a highlight of the festive holidays. But for some, including those venturing to the theatre for the first time, the event can be as equally overwhelming and stressful as … Continue reading
Posted in Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Halls, Theatre
Tagged Aladdin, Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, Davood Ghadami, Fairfield Halls, Kiera-Nicole Brennan, Panto, pantomime
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Aladdin shows it’s not just Town Hall with panto villains
Davood Ghadami says he wants to frighten as many Croydon children as he possibly can. The Holby City and EastEnders star is playing the evil Abanazar in Aladdin at the Fairfield Halls this December, and he is determined to prove … Continue reading
Taking Liberty with the arts in a way that celebrates us all
KEN TOWL takes hope, and much joy, from last week’s Liberty Festival, where deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists injected some much-needed culture into the borough. Photos by PAUL FULLER The Liberty Festival, which landed in Croydon last weekend, represented the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Borough of Culture 2023, Comedy, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Music, Poetry
Tagged Aaron Simmonds, Ashcroft Theatre, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Drunken Chorus, Fairfield Halls, Francesca Martinez, giraffes, Inner Vision Orchestra, Ken Towl, Liberty Festival, Steve Day
4 Comments
80 years on the stage – taking Croydon from the Blitz to Narnia
SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: This year marks the 80th anniversary of the first performances by CODA, the Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association, making it one of the longest-lasting community arts organisations in the borough. DAVID MORGAN looks into how the group came … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, CODA, David Morgan, History, Theatre
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, CODA, Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association, David Morgan, Fairfield Halls, Grand Theatre, Grand Theatre and Opera House, Kenneth Horne, Narnia, Russell Grant, Second World War, Simon Le Bon, The Blitz, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, World War II, World War Two
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Fairfield Halls rocked as Higgins leaves artistic director role
The Fairfield Halls, Croydon’s cultural centre, is seeking its fourth artistic director in little more than three years, after it was announced today that Jonathan Higgins is leaving to take a position at another venue in Newcastle. Higgins moved to … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Jon Workman, Jonathan Higgins
Tagged BH Live, BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jonathan Higgins
4 Comments
Get your skates on for a summer of fun at the Fairfield Halls
You’d better get your skates on, because there’s a summer-long set of exciting films, shows and entertainment on offer for all the family at the Fairfield Halls, starting this week. And lots of what’s on offer is either free or … Continue reading
Panto producers seek new talents for Aladdin at the Ashcroft
UK Productions and Fairfield Halls are on the hunt for local talent for this year’s Croydon pantomime Aladdin to be staged at the Ashcroft Theatre. Auditions for the Principal Ensemble are taking place at Fairfield Halls on Friday July 7 … Continue reading
Posted in Ashcroft Theatre, Comedy, Dance, Education, Fairfield Halls, Music, Schools
Tagged Aladdin, Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, Davood Ghadami, Fairfield Halls, Kiera-Nicole Brennan
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Aladdin promises a magic carpet ride at the Ashcroft Theatre
EastEnders and Holby City star Davood Ghadami and children’s TV favourite and former BRIT School pupil Kiera-Nicole Brennan head the cast announced this week for the biggest show of the year at the Fairfield Halls – the panto, which for … Continue reading
Posted in Ashcroft Theatre, Comedy, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Music, Theatre
Tagged Aladdin, Ashcroft Theatre, Brit School, Davood Ghadami, Fairfield Halls, Kiera-Nicole Brennan, Panto
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Fairfield Halls offers some Easter movie magic for just £2
A money-saving cinema club, offering films on the big screen for just £2 per ticket, is coming to the Fairfield Halls this Easter, as the borough’s arts centre looks to offer fun and entertainment on a budget for hard-pressed Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Cinema, Comedy, Fairfield Halls
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, Easter, Fairfield Halls, Family Film Club
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Younger Generation open auditions, Purley, Feb 26, Mar 26
Younger Generation, the charity theatre group for nine- to 18-year-olds who enjoy performing have two open audition dates coming up. The auditions could lead to the youngsters becoming part of the cast for a show to be performed at the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Music, Purley
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Halls, Purley, Younger Generation Theatre Group
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Troup is making a song and dance of its return to the Ashcroft
The Younger Generation Theatre Group is seeking new members to join its cast for its upcoming shows. YG couldn’t perform during the pandemic years and according to one of their organisers, “During that time a lot of our core cast … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Dance, Music, Theatre
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, Purley, Younger Generation Theate Group
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