I have reported on the social media backlash over the rebranding of The Tricycle Theatre as The Kiln although the rebrand does have its supporters. For a full account of the change see LINK
Now John Duffy fighting Kilburn as an independent in the local election, has thrown his weight behind a petition calling for the retraction of the name change.
Duffy said:
I urge everybody from Kilburn and Brent to sign the petition below to ensure the Tricycle Theatre retains its name.
I have lived in Kilburn all my life and during that time the Tricycle Theatre has played a major role in the lives of many Kilburn Residents.
I was on the board of the Tricycle in 1987 to help rebuild the theatre following the fire in 1987 , which burn a large part of the Theatre to the ground. At the time it seemed like it we would be unable to rebuilt the theatre, because of the lacking of funding. However with the help of the Arts Council and local residents we did. At the time I remember the fund raising slogan was the “ Tricycle has Risen from the Ashes'.
The name the Tricycle is important as a landmark for Kilburn, everybody knows “The Trike” I think the brand name of the Tricycle is a good brand and the Theatre will always be known as “The trike” whatever whatever the ad-men say.
The idea that marketing men , Brent Council and the board, can change tradition and history without any consultation with the residents is fundamentally wrong. Local residents pay for The Tricycle via Brent Council grants and should have a say in any name change.
The petition set up by the Brondesbury Next Door group can be signed HERE. As yet there is no rival petition supporting the name change.
The petition blurb says:
The name of the theatre and cinema that the local community has loyally supported for many years has been changed, without consultation, from ‘The Tricycle’ to ‘The Kiln’. The attempt at re-branding is unnecessary, costly and squanders the established reputation of The Tricycle. The loss of loyalty may lead to the theatre closing - already many local people have declared their intention to boycott it when it reopens. In addition the name ‘The Kiln’ has unfortunate associations to a fire in the eighties, when the theatre burned to the ground. Please support us by signing the petition for the name to be changed back to The Tricycle - It only takes a moment...
Whichever side of the debate is correct I can't help but think the name change has garnered much more publicity than a simple re-opening after refurbishment would have done.
Clever?
A FACEBOOK GROUP HAS NOW BEEN SET 'OUR TRICYCLE, NOT YOUR KILN' LINK
It seems extraordinary to throw away a brand name that, for something so small, is nationally and internationally known and has a one hell of a reputation. Every actor, director and writer knows it as the Trike. To throw it away on a whim beggars belief.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very arrogant decision which seems to have been by the artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham - a hubristic vanity project for the sake of making her own mark.
Claims that "Kiln" is a play on ":Kilburn" are just silly.
Claims that "Kilm" is an expression of the "creative furnace' that the Tricycle has often represented are spurious. That concept is plain plagiaristic. "The Crucible" in Sheffield was way ahead with the thought years and years ago.
On top of that the new name conflicts with a well established theatrical oufit in Birmingham called the "Kilburn Ensemble."
In all dimensions the change from Tricyle to Kiln is simply wrong.
Brent contributed £1m to this massive refurbishment project. Was ANYONE on the Council informed about this name change BEFORE it happened? Were other sponsors consulted? Did the whole board of directors go along with this crazy idea? Was the public consulted? Were supporters and loyal Trikers consulted? If so just how were all these groups researched? And, just how much was spent on such consultation and research when, given the already well established international Tricycle name and reputation, a change of name was absolutely unnecessary?
The whole affair stinks. Outrageous.
Join the protest at
ReplyDeletehttps://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Brondesbury_next_door_members_and_others_affected_Tricycle_Theatre_name_change_to_Kiln_change_the_name_back/
and see more on Facbook at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/358213798022613/permalink/360237184486941/
I have cancelled my request for regular emails from the TRICYCLE, informing me about upcoming films and plays. I came to live in Kilburn 7 years ago and the TRICYCLE was a famous name that put Kilburn High Road on the map. But now the place seems to have been taken over by self-promoting yuppies. No doubt the actual TRICYCLE that used to grace the entrance will be thrown away. I hereby pronounce a curse on the Kiln and everyone involved in this stupid change of name.
ReplyDeleteWhat a complete shambles - people here more interested in the name change of a community business and valuable local resource than that of the local residents and visitors who suffer from a dirty dilapidated road that sees regular traffic incidents and even worse in the recent past. Shame on you for caring more about a name the the community itself.
ReplyDelete