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Secret Cinema defends plans for immersive Dirty Dancing screening in Walthamstow
Time of their life: Secret Cinema are planning an immersive screening of Dirty Dancing this year
Secret Cinema has defended its plans to host an immersive screening of 1980s favourite Dirty Dancing in Walthamstow later this year, despite almost 140 complaints from locals.
Residents and campaigners protesting the event, scheduled to go ahead on the Low Hall Sports Ground from mid-July until mid-September, say that the screening will “hijack and damage” the green space, will create unnecessary noise pollution and may present an increased risk of Covid-19 transmissions. Secret Cinema’s productions typically attracts tens of thousands of fans.
As reported by the Waltham Forest Echo, a meeting held last week saw residents voice concerns that Secret Cinema would be “importing massive risks to our community, they will leave no positive legacy and they will hijack and damage our public land. They will make a profit and we, the community, will be paying the price.”
Others said that the event would mean the football pitches, normally used by local community club Coppermill Swifts FC, would be completely off bounds, while others raised worries around light pollution.
“There are certainly reasons to support events in green spaces but this application deprives the community during the day in order to serve it’s premium client base at night,” said Walthamstow resident Isla Johns.
Secret Cinema’s chief executive, Max Alexander, told the Guardian the company planned to give away 1,500 free tickets to locals and would invite schools to use the site during the day, saying: "We put places on the map and then other businesses come in our wake.
“We are itinerant but we leave a positive legacy with the people we engage with.”
Rob Haworth, who made the application on behalf of the company, said at the meeting: “We completely understand we could be perceived as a big problem for the area over the summer and that’s the last thing we want.
“I’m not going to pretend there’s no impact from what we are proposing but I believe we can limit those impacts.
“Everything is facing away from residents and we designed the site specifically with our neighbours in mind."
While Waltham Forest Council’s licensing committee has granted Secret Cinema’s application, the group are required to hold monthly meetings with community groups to inform them of any progress and to address any concerns raised. In the meantime, Secret Cinema must still secure planning approval in order to go ahead with the performance.
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