Theatre group loses £30k as storm destroys big top

A children's theatre company has appealed for help after losing £30,000 when its big top tent was ripped to shreds by Storm Darragh.

Jacqueline Ball, from Stiltskin Theatre, said the destruction of the tent in Devonport Park, Plymouth, on Saturday had been "quite horrifying".

The cost to Stiltskin includes the purchase of the big top, ticket sales from the cancellation of a show, and profit from sales in a shop and cafe.

Stiltskin is pressing ahead with a smaller two-person show, The Elf Who Lost Christmas, which will run at the smaller Soapbox Theatre in the park from Saturday.

The theatre company had planned to put on two shows, the Guardian of the Golden Griffin and The Elf Who Lost Christmas, in the big top in the run-up to Christmas.

The big top had also been planned to mark the theatre company's 10th anniversary.

Despite warnings about the storm, the theatre company said it did not have time to take down the tent.

"The winds were so strong, they just built up and literally ripped the roof off," said Ms Ball.

"It was quite horrifying to watch it happen."

She said the support from an appeal had been "amazing".

The theatre company was doing four shows a day just to house everybody that had booked the elf show, she said.

"The team are working really, really hard.

"They've built the auditorium inside, and we're just getting everything ready for us to launch on Saturday."

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