A theater company which teaches performing arts to adults with disabilities has been forced to cancel its Christmas production after part of its venue ceiling collapsed.

The Side by Side Theater Company, based at SideSpace in Stourbridge, said a large sheet of plasterboard fell and “exploded” in the venue.

The group of actors said no one was injured in the incident at the former St. John’s Church, where they were rehearsing their Christmas concert.

The theater company is now in its 27th year and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe as well as in Sweden and Prague and with the Royal Shakespeare Open Stages.

The band said they were rehearsing for a week of festive shows when the plaster fell “without any warning” on September 27.

“Fortunately, the only people in the building at the time were the secretary and two administrators, all of whom were present in the office,” a spokesperson said.

“If anyone had been near the falling plaster, the result could have been fatal.”

Since then, company directors have tried to hire a professional contractor to assess the ceiling, find out what caused the plaster to fall off, test its safety and provide them with a quote for repairs.

But after weeks of phone calls and promises, no one stepped in to help them remedy the situation.

Bosses are now hoping other venues in the area could be made available for them to perform.

The actors continued their sessions in other parts of the church, but there was no room for an audience, the company said.

“(We) have asked other venues in the area, hoping to be able to perform elsewhere, but either everything is sold out at this time of year or they are not suitable,” added the spokesperson. word.

Since acquiring St John’s Church in 2019, they have expanded their offering of performing arts classes to more people with learning difficulties and people with special needs.

The spokesperson said: “Not being able to perform a Christmas concert this year is extremely disappointing for (the cast) and they are still unsure how long it will be before they can use the SideSpace for performances again. “