As is so often the way on the fringes of journalism, the news of the Landor's closure came as no surprise. Not because I am some economist with insight but because I'd heard reliable gossip, off the record, and digested the information accordingly. Amid the venues obituaries that have since sprung up over social media, I personally can't help but feel less than nostalgic about the building. It is, after all, a function room above a pub and if the brewery who run it lack the foresight to include a theatre in that space, then it's their loss. I refuse to mourn the space and shall loose no sleep over the fact that I'll probably never set foot in the over-priced boozer again in my life. I have no reason to and even less inclination.
For me theatre has always been more about people than buildings. Had somebody told me that Rob McWhir, Rob Cook or Andrew Keates were retiring from theatre, that would be cause for misery and mourning. Had somebody asserted that Richard Lambert had decided not to produce his annual Lambco Festival, then that would be a shame. Good god, I had some wonderful times at the Landor but it had very little, if anything to do with the building.
What I witnessed there - laughter, tears and talent will continue to be provided by the same people who generated such emotions. I'll just experience them in a different environment.
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