It has been 15 long months since the Dome theatre in Accra, the biggest
indoor theatre in the country, which is the first port of call for many
big event organisers, was “temporarily shut down for renovation”.
At the time of the closure, most event organisers expected that the
2600 seater movable theatre run by Creator Digital Company, would open
early enough for the Christmas season when many big events in the
capital are usually held but that was not to be.
Christmas 2013 has come and gone, Easter too has passed and without
word from the owners about how much longer the supposed renovation would
take, event organisres may be losing hope on its opening soon
particularly after questions were raised earlier this year in the media
about its safety and it being an illegal structure.
But in an interview with the Project Manager for the Dome, Kevin
Aggrey, he denied that the Dome had been permanently shut down.
He told Showbiz on Tuesday that the Dome was undergoing rehabilitation works to make it a better place to host events.
“I don’t know where all these speculations are from but there is enough
evidence to show that we have not closed down the place permanently.
When you get there right now, there are ongoing major works on the
facility.
“Just some few weeks ago, the whole building was washed and we are
working on improving the seating design, the acoustics, security and air
conditioning system”, he said.
The Dome is a temporary structure that was erected for an UNCTAD
conference in 2008. It was meant to be dismantled after the conference
but some private individuals showed interest in its management and had
since hosted many events including the annual Ghana Music Awards.
Its closure since last year has been a great discomfort to many event
organisers and still no one is talking about a re-opening date.
Mr Aggrey said “I don’t have the official power to talk about when it
will re- opened. I have to consult with my managers because it is a
collective and management decision. For now, I can only assure the
public that the maintenance work is for their own good and we don’t
intend to do anything that will hinder the progress of entertainment
industry” he said.
In an interview with George Quaye, Head of Communications at Charter
House, he expressed his delight at the possible reopening of the Dome.
“It’s good to know that the Dome will be opened to event organisers. The
impact of its closure on event organisers has been huge and if they
have any plans of re-opening the Dome, then it should be soon.
“For me, I find it heartbreaking that a country like Ghana cannot boast
of an auditorium that can take about 5,000 people. I don’t know if it’s
the arts and entertainment industry that is not positioned well. Ask
people in the industry and they will tell you that event venue business
is a very profitable business.
He noted that the Dome was the preferred choice for most event
organisers because of the numbers it could take to enable event
organisers to recoup the cost of a show’s production.
“If you don’t have a venue that can take in numbers of people, you
would end up with a huge loss. The nature of the economy doesn’t even
permit organisers to increase prices of tickets even though production
items have gone up.” he said.
He said that it was very unfortunate that the Dome had been closed down
for so long and appealed to the government to intervene.
Last Friday when Showbiz contacted the Director of the Accra
International Conference Centre on whose premises the Dome is “perching”
she declined to comment on the issue.
She rather requested that an official letter be written to the Minister
of Foreign Affairs for the appropriate response. “I can’t talk about it
unless I am given a directive by the Minister”, she said.
A visit to the Dome however didn’t show any sign of rehabilitation as
Mr. Aggrey earlier claimed. The place looked deserted and the doors were
locked except the main exit door.
Source: Graphic Showbiz
