The Society of London Theatre release statement regarding Apollo Theatre roof collapse

The Society of London Theatre have released a statement to the press regarding last night's roof collapse at the Apollo Theatre during a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time:

On behalf of London’s theatre industry, our thoughts and sympathies go out to everyone who was injured and affected by last night’s incident at the Apollo Theatre. We would like to praise the emergency services for their calm and rapid response and all the theatre staff on Shaftesbury Avenue for their professional and compassionate handling of the situation.

The exact cause of the incident is still being investigated and the theatre owners, Nimax, are working closely with the relevant authorities to establish exactly what happened. Our theatres entertain over 32,000 people in central London every night and all theatres take the safety of their audience, performers and staff very seriously. Every theatre undergoes rigorous safety checks and inspections by independent experts, and incidents like last night are extremely rare.

At a meeting today all the major theatre owners have confirmed that their safety inspections and certificates are up to date, and will co-operate fully with the authorities to reassure the public that their theatres are safe. All other London theatres remain open for business today and in the coming weeks.

Performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time have been cancelled on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st December. Customers should contact their point of purchase to arrange exchanges or refunds. The National Theatre and Apollo Theatre will advertise details regarding the future status of performances once this is known.

In order to help audiences, ticket holders can come to the Industry-run ticket booth TKTS in the clock tower at Leicester Square this weekend, and can choose another show for free on presentation of their ticket for tonight or Saturdays’ performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time.

Emergency services were called after a section of the ceiling collapsed and fell onto theatregoers. It is believed part of the roof came down forty minutes into the performance. "People were looking up in a bewildered way when the roof came down, wondering if it was part of the show," an eyewitness told BBC News. "Those close to the emergency exit managed to get out, though others were trapped."

The ambulance services reported at 9.30pm there were 65 casualties, including walking wounded. It has been reported that nearby theatre are being used to treat those with smaller injuries. 

"I was hit on the head by a piece of masonry," an audience member told the BBC. "We thought it was part of the show at first, then we saw all the actors looking up and pointing, looking horrified." Speaking to Sky News, a theatregoer who was sitting in the second row of the stalls described the roof as "landing on people. There was a lady who was in a lot of shock and had a lot of debris over her and a cut head."

The section of plaster roof that came down was said to be three to five metres in circumference. One theatregoer reported seeing sparks from the ceiling. A group of audience members reportedly went back inside the venue to help following the evacuation. Emergency services were on the scene within minutes and Shaftesbury Avenue was cordoned off.

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