When the pandemic hit, work dried up for Jewish actor Jessica Cole. But a chance conversation during lockdown with a fellow actor sowed the seed for an ambitious new project.
“Lockdown was a time for us to stop and think,” she says. “My friend Simina and I were chatting, and I mentioned that I’d always thought, why isn’t there a place where you can see great theatre and enjoy fantastic hospitality – a sort of theatre café? It sounded like a great idea. Such a good idea that we decided that we would try to set one up once the pandemic was over.”
But it was not a simple task.
“We formulated a business plan, but we discovered that when you start something new, some people view you as a risk.”
The two actors were not deterred. “It took us three years to find the perfect venue,” Jessica says. “When we saw this one [Libra Cafe] in Chalk Farm Road we knew it was absolutely right for what we wanted to create – a safe space where people are free to develop new ideas.”
Fourteen months after it opened, the theatre café is in profit and hosting exciting theatre. As well as theatre there is a varied programme including inter-faith comedy nights run by Jewish comedian Rachel Creeger, where Jewish fans of comedy can watch comedians without the threat of antisemitic rhetoric. Last November the Libra hosted performances as part of Tsitsit, the Jewish Fringe Festival.
The theme of the pandemic continues next week with the start of the Libra’s latest show Dance of Death. A 90-minute long play starring Jessica’s Libra partner Simina Ellis and actor Tom Ray, it is a modernised adaptation of the Strindberg play. It explores a young couple’s relationship when they are forced to live together during lockdown. The Libra’s artistic director Glenn T. Griffin wrote the adaptation.
“We felt now would be the right time to stage it,” explains Jessica, “because now there has been enough space after lockdown for people to be able to look back and reflect on its impact.”
Dance of Death is at The Libra Theatre Café 19 – 28 June. thelibract.com
