The Drama Factory in Strand was forced to suspend upcoming theatre productions after a portion of their roof was ripped off by the gushing winds and stormy weather last Sunday.
The theatre which is based in Henry Vos Close, Asla Business Park in Strand, suffered severe damages as the owners count their losses.
Sue Diepeveen, owner of The Drama Factory, said they they were prepared for the harsh weather ahead of the storm, but were still left with damage to their building.
Diepeveen says: “We were informed that the roof had gone at about 3am and knew that the rain would only hit later, which gave us time to get to the building and take down our lighting rig, which was the big worry. We managed to get the chairs out and all the sound and lighting equipment, and ensured that the electrical points were all covered and taped up.
“We switched off the solar as we weren’t sure if our panels were unscathed and posed a risk. We had such a lot of help from our tenants Reunited Church with clearing the space. The biggest damage is to the ceiling. The stage is wooden and will have to be replaced.”
The venue was set to showcase productions in the next few days, but were forced to cancel.
She adds: “We are saddened at the damage, but theatre people are resilient and we will be back up and running soon. Our patrons have been so kind and supportive and we have had many offers of help to get up and running as soon as possible, which is so humbling.
“We are grateful to our neighbours who fought the elements to secure fallen roof sheets in the middle of the night. We are much luckier than a lot of people and businesses, and we were able to strip most of the inside before the rain came.
“Our first priority has been to secure the roof sheets that may still fly off. We have not yet been able to get up there, so we need to have the damage assessed for quotes to fix it. We hope to only be closed for a few weeks.”