George Quaye, the Team Lead for ImageBureau, has pleaded with officials to postpone the National Theatre’s scheduled closure for renovations. He has suggested that alternative venues must first be made available.
Speaking in an interview, George Quaye said that although the renovation is necessary, shutting down the facility at this time will adversely affect the entertainment industry. “If we shut the National Theatre down where do we go, especially for those of us who practices theatre?” he asked.
He stated, “If you shut down the National Theatre, it’s like shutting down the whole sector,” when asked how renovations could continue without closure. At the AICC, someone like Latif performs his plays. It has more seats than the National Theatre, but where will someone like Latif perform his plays if it has been closed? He further explained that alternative venues are either unsuitable or too costly for commercial theatre productions.
To be honest, the Arts Center is not really practical for the type of commercial theatre that we currently operate. The College of Physicians and Surgeons is not a convenient location for a theatre production. Additionally, the UPSA auditorium is not a convenient venue for a theatrical production. The difficulties and financial consequences will be astounding. They are intolerable to us. At our theatre productions, we hardly make a profit. Therefore, I will beg, plead, and entreat the Tourism Minister that it will be beneficial if they can continue with the renovations,” he stated.
His concerns come at a time when key performance venues in Accra are either closed or unavailable for use. The Accra International Conference Centre has already been shut down for renovation. The situation is further compounded by the inaccessibility of the Grand Arena, which authorities say is not readily available to event organisers.
The Chinese government has provided a $30 million grant to assist the National Theatre’s planned renovation, which will begin in a few months.
