Debbie Waite on how a St Clements-based charity is repaying the generosity of the people who came to its rescue

The wettest summer in 100 years — few can forget the downpours of the summer of 2012. But while for most of us this meant merely getting wet — a lot — the seemingly endless rain took Oxford’s home grown Creation Theatre Company literally to the brink of ruin.

“That summer was devastating for us,” said Lucy Askew, Creation’s chief executive. “You don’t realise how much you really care about your job until you think you’re going to lose it, and that was a truly dark time when it looked like 16 years were going to be just lost.” The St Clements-based charity, which receives no regular funding and relies on ticket sales for its survival, suffered a damning double combination of wet weather and a 50 per cent drop in tourism.

Its summer show, The Merchant of Venice, at the rooftop amphitheatre at Said Business School, Oxford, was its biggest production of 2012, but despite having an indoor wet weather back-up, takings were down drastically and the company revealed it would be unable to produce any more shows unless it raised £30,000 by the end of its Christmas show, Aladdin and the Magical Lamp, in January 2013. In a rallying cry worthy of Richard IV, Creation appointed the charity’s commercial director Lucy Askew to the position of chief executive, slashed its spending and cut its staffing down to a minimum to give itself a fighting chance.

Geoffrey Bryant, chairman of Creation’s board of trustees, made an urgent appeal to local businesses and supporters for help. Ms Askew said: “Of course we didn’t want to close, but at the front of our minds were our audiences. We were looking at the very real prospect of closing, not putting on anymore wonderful shows and letting our audiences — the people who had supported us — down. It was just awful.”

Creation’s adoring public responded to the company’s plea for help immediately. “People donated £5 notes, £10 notes and £50 notes,” said Ms Askew. “Our business sponsors rallied and even the children who came in for workshops opened their wallets at the end of the session and gave us their fifty pence pocket money.” Julia Iball, 50, from Kirtlington, was one of hundreds of supporters who offered their time or money. She said: “While I was a partner in an Oxford law firm we had sponsored Creation, so when I read about their difficulties I wanted to help.

“I wasn’t working at the time so I offered to go in and help in the office. Their staff was at a minimum and myself and other volunteers just rolled up our sleeves, sat at a computer, filled in forms and helped with calls to possible sponsors. “During that time I saw letters from many people making donations and they all showed such kindness. “But Creation gets inside you, it gets in your heart and people just wanted to do what they could to keep it.”

Through the generosity of its supporters, £40,000 was raised, taking Creation back from the precipice. “It was amazing and while our audiences have always been part of us, it’s now like they have a real ‘share’ in Creation,” said Ms Askew. In 2013, Creation’s professional casts have gone on to stage three successful shows, including the one-man Jeykll and Hyde at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford, which was seen by 3,000 people. “A one-hour, one-man show in a bookshop might seem like a ‘hard-sell’, but Jeykll and Hyde was amazing in so many ways,” said Ms Askew. “The venue for one was so atmospheric, so Gothic and exciting. The show exceeded everyone’s expectations and we even had to extend the run for another week.”

Henry V at Oxford Castle Unlocked this summer also played to full houses and standing ovations and the Company is now staging its most lavish winter show yet, with a musical adaptation of CS Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, featuring the evil White Witch, at the North Wall Theatre, in North Oxford. “This year we came back with some amazing shows,” said Ms Askew.

As part of its ongoing ‘survival planning’ Creation has also been working on plans to deal with its baddest ‘baddie — its nastiest nemesis — the rain. “We started looking seriously at what we could do to plan for bad weather about four years ago, with indoor locations we could use as back-up plans if the weather was bad. “But from this year we have also been producing shows with a shorter run such as the three-week Henry V, so that if bad weather does strike, we can reduce our financial risk.”

With 2014 now looking decidedly bright for Creation, Ms Askew said the company is looking to widen its horizons and has already started planning Macbeth at Lady Margaret Hall this summer. “This year was all about having survived and fighting back, while this coming year we are in a much stronger position,” she said. “We’re looking to tackle some new challenges. But most of all we are looking forward to repaying our supporters with more fantastic shows and productions, which is a lovely feeling.”