Shows over? Pub crisis puts Lion and Unicorn theatre group under threat

A PUB theatre could face the final curtain after the company which owns the building went into administration.
Actors are desperate to keep the 50-seat theatre at the Lion and Unicorn in Gaisford Street, Kentish Town, up and running.
Pubs ’n’ Bars, the London-based firm which owns the pub, has blamed the smoking ban and the recession for its problems.
Administrators say its pubs are “operating normally” but will be “reviewed on their individual merits in terms of closure”.
Members of resident theatre company Giant Olive fear they may be forced to move on and have begun looking at alternative venues. George Sallis, who co-founded Giant Olive 18 months ago, said: “I’m staying upbeat. We have been told we’re fine to carry on here but there is no guaranteeing it.
“The pub could be sold to a developer and turned into flats. Anything could happen.”
A run of sell-out performances has helped boost Giant Olive’s fortunes. Ticket sales for the company’s current production of Oliver Twist have hit 1,700, with a record-breaking 400 selling before the show’s run even started.
They have also been promised National Lottery funding for a theatre project examining knife crime, led by West End star Ray Shell. Giant Olive projects have also won financial support from Camden Council.
JOSH LOEB