The new leaseholders of Margate Winter Gardens, Westwood One Ltd, feature in a documentary film charting their journey of renovating Ramsgate’s The Granville Theatre during 2022-2023.
Comedian and journalist Matthew Mckew, who grew up in Margate, tracked the renovation of the 1947-building from the day Parisa Tarjomani, Zahra Tarjomani and Matt MIlchard received the keys to the Granville Theatre in October 2022 to the Opening Gala in May 2023 – just seven months later.
Armed with just a phone and plenty of enthusiasm, he managed to capture behind-the-scenes of the personal journey of three theatre-lovers and their army of loyal friends.
He has now joined forces with Ashford-based production company Borderpoint Films to bring his footage to life for a screening at the Granville Theatre on Friday 29th May.
Weldkey Productions and Borderpoint Films have combined to produce the behind-the-scenes documentary The Show Must Go On.
Tickets are available at: https://www.thegranvilletheatre.com/whatson/the-granville-theatre-documentary
Matthew Mckew, the director, is a former freelance journalist for CNN and full-time reporter for various newspapers including the Otago Daily Times in New Zealand.
Borderpoint Films’ Dom Rees-Roberts and producer on this project, has directed some 100 hours of factual TV shows covering science, history and crime.
Will Warrilow, a freelance videographer from Margate, has also joined the project. Will has a background in shooting motorsport across the world.
Most of the low-budget documentary was captured on Matthew’s Samsung Galaxy, with a wired microphone connected to the bottom of it.
The documentary reveals the deeply personal story trio- each going through personal anguish, feeling an emotional toll and even threatening to abandon the project on opening day.
It reveals the difficulties with keeping to a tight budget, renovating an elderly building at break-neck speed and the challenge of managing various contractors on a relatively small site.
But it also underlines why the three are so committed to securing a future for Thanet’s theatre and a home for young people to perform in.
Matthew said: “I grew up in Thanet and attended pantos at the Granville as a kid. I’d seen various films over the years there too, but the venue had always felt like it was just about hanging on.
“It was no surprise to me that it eventually closed, but when I found out somebody was willing to take it on and give it a new lease of life, I wanted to capture the journey.
“The Westwood One trio are a fascinating combination of ambition, chaos and passion. They put themselves under immense pressure and set punishing targets, but nobody can doubt their commitment to providing a home for the arts in Thanet.
“I don’t think they had any idea how hard the renovation of the Granville Theatre would be, but they never let any of the challenges get in their way.
“The film captures the lack of sleep, the greying hair, the mental anguish and the passion needed to complete a renovation like this.
It reveals just how much pressure the three felt and the impact the weight of expectation had on them. They are not a faceless corporation, but Thanet locals.
“I know that with their next challenge at the Winter Gardens coming up, the people of Thanet will be interested to learn just who has been entrusted with the enormous, but important task – and this film is a chance for people to find out.”
Find the video trailer at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzubYj-7Wcw
I thought it was about a Leo Sayer at first!