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‘We will not give up, we’ll put on a show’

BBC A group of men and women standing together and wearing an array of Christmas jumpersBBC
Donned in their Christmas jumpers the Side By Side Theatre group continue to share the festive spirit

A group of actors with learning disabilities has vowed not to give up spreading festive cheer despite cancelling its Christmas concert.

The Side By Side Theatre, based in the former St John's Church in Stourbridge, had been rehearsing since autumn to put on a week of performances.

However, a 15kg (33lbs) chunk of the building's ceiling fell down, dashing the company's hopes of performing in the space.

“It’s not going to be what we hoped for but we’re not giving up,” said group member James Emtage.

A man and woman stood arm in arm and both wearing red polo shirts with a logo on the right-hand side of their chests
Susan Wallin and Derek Liddington say the group has tried to stay positive

Susan Wallin, the group's artist director and founder, said the damage caused on 27 September was "shocking".

"We were in the office and suddenly heard an enormous bang. I rushed outside because I thought it was a car crash. We’re just thankful it didn’t fall on anyone."

The property dates back to 1860 and became the theatre group’s headquarters in 2019.

The company is now in its 27th year and has performed in Sweden, Prague, at the Edinburgh Fringe and with the Royal Shakespeare’s Open Stages.

It has been trying to find an alternative venue for its Christmas performance but has not been able to find one suitable for the group's needs.

Scaffolding in a church room
After a three-month plea, a contractor has been found to repair the damaged ceiling and performance space

They will instead film the concert but actor Laura Southall said rehearsing in a corridor had been "difficult" and "quite cramped".

Fellow performer Claire Atwood said: “I was really gutted because all my friends and family can’t come and see it, I’ve been looking forward to the concert for ages."

Ms Wallin said a "real performance with real people can’t be replaced".

However, Mr Emtage added: "We’re still going to put on a performance."

A group of people in Christmas jumpers spread out in a hallway facing a conductor
With their main performance space shut, the group have been reduced to rehearsing in a cramped hallway

The company had completed a major refurbishment of the church to convert it into a performance space only three weeks before the ceiling incident.

It was only able to secure a contractor to carry out repairs at the end of November, meaning the space would not be ready in time for the concert.

Trustee Derek Liddington said: “For this to happen when we’d gone through the summer decorating and having no holidays, it was disappointing.

“We are used to coping with adversity in Side By Side so we try to find the positives and that’s what we’ve had to do here."

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