Theatre Royal Haymarket sale: After #MeToo, all-female group's takeover bid gains momentum
AFTER the shockwaves of #MeToo and the growing attention on gender inequality in the arts, an all-female group of creatives has launched a campaign to buy Theatre Royal Haymarket on London’s West End.
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It was announced earlier this month that the venue’s 68-year lease is to go on sale, with the freehold currently owned by the Crown Estate.
Bossy, the group set up by Jonna Blode Hanno and Laura Thomasina Haynes, boasts 13000 members on Facebook and set up a crowdfunding campaign in a bid to take over the iconic theatre.
The asking price for the lease is unknown but Bossy’s GoFundMe target is currently £3 million.
At time of writing, it has had £6,200 pledged - which despite being only 0.2% of its target, is still evidence of remarkable momentum in recent days.
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The campaign’s organiser Natalie Durkin wrote: “A group of female creatives want to buy Theatre Royal Haymarket to encourage and support female led work.
“Bossy is an all female collective with over 13,000 members, meant for the support of women in the creative industries.
“Recently though it’s become a power force of positivity, motivation and empowerment in the wake of #timesup, #metoo and #yearofthewomen.
“Now, they’re crowdfunding to buy a West End Theatre. Unrealistic? Maybe. Impossible? No.”
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She added: “All who donate will receive shares in the Theatre dependent on the donation amount. All shareholders will then vote in a board who will be in charge of the general running of the Theatre.
“If unsuccessful monies will be used to fund a Female arts week! (Theatres already offering space).”
Visit the GoFundMe page here.