Act now so historic Rose Theatre can bloom again
SUCCESSIVE British governments have failed since 1989 to aid the campaign to unearth the Rose theatre on London’s South Bank. May 15 will see the 26th anniversary of the start of that campaign when so many from the theatrical world, led by some of the greats of British stage and screen, such as the late dame Peggy Ashcroft, gathered to protect it from being buried for ever when it was due to be turned into an underground car park. With the election just around the corner, I wrote to the leaders of each party, but have not had a reply from any except Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland’s First Minister and leader of the duP. His last paragraph was encouraging: ‘While I might not be able to provide any categorical assurance at this point, that a deal between the duP and either the Conservative or Labour Party might stand or fall on the future of the Rose theatre, we will certainly look sympathetically at any proposals which might subsequently come forward.’ over the years, I’ve received many letters from British government ministers in my quest to have the government of the day take an active role in having the Rose theatre restored to its former glory and made into a permanent museum for all the world to see. I’m sorely disappointed that the Labour Party, when in government, did nothing to ensure the continued process of uncovering the Rose theatre, considering that Mark Fisher MP was actively involved with us in the 1989 campaign and was appointed a minister in tony Blair’s government. It baffles me why every government in the past 26 years has ignored funding such an important landmark in British cultural history to make it 100 per cent visible to the public. the cultural importance (not to mention the tourism income it would generate) should be paramount for any party, in power or not. Contact your local candidates and request a firm commitment that should their party get into power on May 7, they will ensure that the Rose theatre is given the required attention and funding it deserves and needs to complete the stages necessary to allow the British public and the world to view the only remaining theatre of the great elizabethan drama period. It’s an insult to the memory of dame Peggy Ashcroft and the campaigners who in 1989 lived on the site in a yellow builder’s cabin to protect it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 14 weeks during one of the hottest summers in Britain to see the Rose theatre still not uncovered in its full glory. our deputy site manager Jon taylor passed away some years ago, and for dame Peggy Ashcroft and Jon it would be such a great memorial to finally open the Rose. It deserves to be restored and shared with the people of Britain and the world. PATRICK McDONNELL, Los Angeles, California.