The Ensemble Theatre is closed but local residents are determined to see it survive
The pandemic has wreaked havoc with businesses, but perhaps none more so than those tied in with the arts. Thankfully the community is rallying.
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The Ensemble Theatre is suffering. Like the vast majority of businesses in Australia it has been forced to close its doors thanks to COVID-19 and it’s impossible to say when they will reopen. That’s heartbreaking for those connected to the Kirribilli-based theatre, but perhaps none more so than the Ensemble’s artistic director Mark Kilmurry.
“It has been incredibly difficult,’ says Kilmurry, who says wandering the halls of the empty theatre house is confronting.
“It is odd,” says Kilmurry.
“I go into the theatre three times a week currently … and to see an empty theatre …,” he trails off, but the emotion is clear.
Clearly closing the theatre’s doors is a scenario that Kilmurry never imagined would happen – likely none of us did – but here we are, deep in the midst of a pandemic that has spread to every corner of the world and doors are shuttering everywhere we turn.
Businesses are closed, people are out of work and many frightened for the future. But, the pandemic has brought golden moments also, says Kilmurry.
Loyal patrons and theatregoers are pulling together and pledging to stand behind the theatre during what is one of the most difficult times the theatre and arts sector has ever faced.
“The community has rallied around us and it’s incredibly uplifting,” he says.
“The support we have been offered has been tremendous. We have experienced such an outpouring of love from our community. So many people have stepped up. It’s been humanity at its best in many ways.
“The support, the kindness, the generosity … everyone at the Ensemble has been knocked out by it. There are all sorts of kindnesses occurring, things that are not recorded, but it’s the best of humanity.”
The Ensemble is part of the north shore and it’s clear the community here is doing its best to ensure it remains so.
The generosity that Kilmurry is referring to has come in many forms (some residents have delivered food to theatre staff, many have offered taxi services or physical labour), but one of the most meaningful has been patrons offering to donate the cost of their subscriptions or their pre-bought tickets in order to keep the theatre afloat.
For example, David Williamson’s play, Crunch Time, was forced to cancel due to the coronavirus. This had never before happened despite the Ensemble’s 61 year history.
But within days of the cancellation, many of the Ensemble’s subscribers who had purchased tickets donated the funds back to the theatre.
And it helped – and continues to do so, says Kilmurry.
“Every day we are receiving encouraging messages of support for our much loved theatre,” he adds.
“It makes a huge difference to everyone at this unprecedented time. When there are difficult times in our society, people often turn to the arts for inspiration and comfort. At times like this it is very heartening to have such good will and support from our audiences particularly as everyone is going through such uncertainty.
“It means a lot to us and will go some way to help us survive, but we must do everything we can possibly do to open the doors again of Australia’s longest running Independent Theatre. We will be back making theatre as soon as we get the all clear and we all feel safe.”
That’s a moment that Mosman resident Margaret North is already looking forward to. North has been visiting the Ensemble regularly for the past 20 years.
About half a dozen times a year she and a dear friend would meet for drinks or dinner and then head to a show.
“We always had a lovely time and I looked on it as a real treat,” she says.
“I’m 82 and it was an occasion for me. I would dress up and prepare myself as if it was a big treat and although it was a relatively inexpensive treat, it was special and sharing it with a good friend made it more special.”
The news that the theatre had been forced to close did not come as a surprise to North, but her heart went out to the theatre’s staff.
“I felt very sad for the artists and the production people and everyone involved,” she says.
“I really felt for them. The rug was just pulled out from under them.”
She wasn’t sure how she could support the theatre, but when it was suggested she and her friend donate the cost of their yearly subscription to the theatre she did not hesitate.
“If we want to keep something as valuable as the Ensemble in our community then we need to do our bit. We cannot let it fail.”
Rana Blewitt, also of Mosman, feels much the same and did not hesitate to donate her subscription either.
“The Ensemble has been with us for such a long time and it brings such joy to the community,” she says.
“It would be a terrible shame to lose it.”
The closure has provided a small benefit to Blewitt, and her friend Michelle who always attends the theatre with her, and that is a new appreciation for what it brings to their lives.
She hopes this sense of gratefulness will persist long after the pandemic is over.
“It’s not a good experience, obviously, but it does force us to see things with fresh eyes,” she explains.
“The closure means we are reminded of how wonderful it is to be able to go to the theatre and what a privilege it is,” says Blewitt.
“I would hope that when life returns to normal and the Ensemble opens its door that we no longer take things like going to the theatre for granted. I think we’ve all been guilty of that at some level. In some ways the current situation is a reminder of the fact that on the whole we really are so blessed.”