A major fire at Derby’s Assembly Rooms means that shows have been called off for the next eight weeks.
A spokesman for Derby city council, which runs the venue, said there was “extensive” damage to the plant room on the roof of the Assembly Rooms car park.
“At present the site is structurally unsound, making any work to assess the total damage a high risk and therefore time-consuming. To ensure the safety of the public, the car park and Full Street will remain closed until further notice.”
The plant room supplied the venue with electricity and lighting and “will have to be demolished before being replaced”.
The fire took hold on Friday afternoon. More than 70 firefighters were called in to bring the blaze under control.
Shows called off include Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, Lesley Joseph in the musical Hot Flush, the Easter panto Peter Pan starring Bobby Davro and That’ll Be The Day.
All scheduled events in the nearby Guildhall Theatre will go ahead as planned.