Supporters of the Palace Theatre at Westcliff will be marking its 90th birthday with a special celebration - even though its future hangs in the balance and the theatre remains closed.
The 430-member Palace Theatre Club will be holding a "celebration vigil" in the theatre foyer on Sunday October 20 between 12 noon and 3pm.
The group is hoping to cheer news of the theatre's reopening, following Tuesday's Southend Council cabinet meeting when a crunch decision will be taken whether to agree joint management with the Cliffs Pavilion.
Paddi Cole, Palace Theatre Club secretary, said: "Everyone is welcome to join us and show their dedication to the Palace.
"The celebration vigil will be on the day before the actual opening of the Palace which was on Monday October 21, 1912.
"We will be launching balloons and having a toast, although it will only be with fruit juice and plastic cups which we are bringing ourselves."
Although managed by the Palace Theatre Trust, the Palace is owned by Southend Council and the trust believes, in the current economic climate, the only way to keep it open with live theatre is a joint management deal with the Cliffs Pavilion.
Published Friday October 11, 2002
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