The De La Warr Pavilion is closed

18 March 2020

A letter from Stewart Drew, Director & CEO

 

Hello

It is with real sadness that we are writing to advise you that the De La Warr Pavilion will be closed to the public from now until further notice, due to the coronavirus situation.

We are devastated at having to make this decision but the safety of our visitors and staff are, and always have been, our priority. This is, of course, in line with the government announcements this week.

We have spent the last few weeks putting everything in place so that we can best protect the organisation and ensure that we can re-open at the right time.

As a building established in 1935 on the principle of “healthy mind and healthy body” (indeed we were funded by the Ministry of Health at that time), we feel a keen responsibility to our community and audiences to support you in these challenging times.

But we need your support too. As a charity (no.1065586), our business model is a mix of public funding, fundraising and a commercial income which depends on footfall. We are not for profit, with all income re-invested in programmes for the benefit of the public, our community.

If you have ever browsed our exhibitions, seen a gig, created your own artwork, participated in a workshop, danced on the terrace, performed on our stage, got married at the Pavilion, watched our outdoor screenings, had a cup of coffee or brought your family to visit, we ask you to continue to support this unique building and help protect its future.

You can do this by:

• Making a donation
• Not asking for a refund
• Becoming a Member or Patron

The Pavilion importantly supports many artists, musicians, creatives, local businesses (bars, restaurants and B&Bs), regional tourism and importantly, employs many local people.

Many of us will be working online and we will keep in touch through social media, emails and through our website www.dlwp.com. All our contact details can be found here.

Thank you so much for your support, and please keep yourself safe in these extraordinary times.

Stewart Drew
Director & CEO

 

Things you need to know:

Read our statement on the coronavirus situation here.

Live events

We are trying to reschedule our live shows and our Box Office is open online and on the phone. These will be announced one by one as they come through. We will be contacting you directly if you have bought tickets for a rescheduled or cancelled event, and we would appreciate your help by avoiding contacting us so we can get through this as quickly as possible. We will aim to respond where possible within 14 days.

Exhibitions

Films about our exhibitions Zadie Xa: Child of Magohalmi and the Echoes of Creation and Marc Bauer: Mal Ȇtre/Performance can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Community events

Our community events, talks and tours and South East Creative events are no longer going ahead. We will update each event page when we have news of re-scheduling or how we might take a digital approach.

Posted by Caspar Jayasekera on Wednesday 18 March 2020