One of Europe’s largest community theatres is holding a Christmas fair for the first time in two years on Saturday 30 November.
The Questors Theatre in Ealing has 15 stalls ready with handcrafted jewellery, silverware, handbags, artwork, handcrafted woodwork, Christmas cards and cakes.
This indoor Christmas fair, which is open from 11am to 5pm, encourages people to shop local in support of independent businesses while finding the perfect Christmas gifts.
Executive director of The Questors Theatre Michael Eppy said: “The best part about the fair is that everybody is looking out for the environment and for their pockets by buying locally and supporting local independent makers.
“We want Questors to be a part of the community so this is one of the ways we can help other people to reach their audience and customers as well.”
On the same day, the Christmas light switch is happening nearby in the Filmworks and some of the theatre’s pantomime cast will be heading there to promote the fair.
The fair was last held in 2022 and there are plans to make it an annual event, but the theatre was unable to put it on last year due to the timings of other productions.
Eppy said: “We are setting off on this adventure again and hopefully we will be back each year.
“We’re very excited about this year’s event, it’s something we love to do to invite the community into our building to get to use the space and to see what else we have got on.”
The Questor’s Theatre is part of the Borough of Ealing Art Trail (BEAT) and it is a members theatre, meaning everyone volunteers their time.
It has over 1,000 members, with some more interested in watching the shows while others are eager to get involved with events.
Eppy said: “It’s an incredible organisation that runs off the people of Ealing that volunteer their time with us.
“We are really keen to tell people that we are always looking for volunteers.”
The theatre has been based in Ealing for 95 years and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2029.
Questors puts on 18 in-house productions each year, including the annual pantomime which is its biggest production.
This year, the pantomime has 56 children performing in it and there will be over 20 performances.
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