A quarter of a century after it shut its doors, the Somers Playhouse is set to welcome spectators to a live performance of The Tempest this month.

Terica Dillas and Eugene Dean, of the Emperial Group, said the performances by the Devil’s Isle Shakespeare Company would launch a fundraising campaign to restore the historic building to its former glory.

Ms Dillas said the Somers Playhouse on Wellington Street was once a cornerstone of the East End community.

“It was self-help, solidarity, resilience,” she said. “This place was a gathering place during the early roots of Cup Match. That’s important.

“This project is about much more than just bricks and mortar. It is about reclaiming a cultural institution for performance and bringing life back into St George’s. We need that.

“We are hoping that the entire community will join us in this journey.”

The Somers Playhouse is the historical “mother lodge” for the Grand United Order of Oddfellows, which set the groundwork during the 19th century of what became the traditional Cup Match cricket game between St George’s and Somerset.

Ms Dillas said the building was first dedicated in July 5, 1923, as Somers Opera House and was used as an entertainment hall hosting films, live performances and lectures.

She said that sometime in the 1960s, the building became known as the Somers Playhouse, with the upstairs theatre portion remaining largely unused.

The Somers Playhouse closed in 1981, but the site was reopened as the New Somers Playhouse in 1993.

Ms Dillas said: “I remember going to the New Somers Playhouse to watch movies and it was fantastic. I think the last thing I saw up there was The Haunting with Catherine Zeta Jones.”

The cinema closed its doors again in 2000 and, while it was announced in 2023 that Sophia Cannonier brought her Padma Studio to the historic property, the site has largely remained unused.

Mr Dean said that on September 21, the Devil’s Isle Shakespeare Company was set to perform a musical adaptation of The Tempest — Shakespeare’s play famously inspired by the wreck of the Sea Venture — just outside the Somers Playhouse.

“The facility is still largely in a state of disrepair,” he said.

“It is structurally strong, but it is nowhere near being ready for use, so through Spanish Town Entertainment we have purchased large tents which we can put in the yard and be able to use the yard to host productions like The Tempest.

“It is a way of allowing us to reinvite the community back to Somers Playhouse for artistic and entertaining productions while helping to raise funds for the refurbishment of the building.

“We have spent the last few months really clearing out the yard, clearing out trees and debris, and that now largely has been done and we are happy to be in a place to welcome the community to the Somers Playhouse.”

Mr Dean said that in addition to the fundraising performance on September 21, the Devil’s Isle Shakespeare Company aimed to stage three free performances for students at the site on September 16, 17 and 18.

“They are in the process of raising the funds to cover the costs of those productions to make them free for the students who attend,” he said.

He added that the performances were hoped to be the first of many at the site to help raise money for the work to transform the building into a multi-purpose facility that would support the community and the arts.

Mr Dean said that the Emperial Group intended to use the restoration project as a chance to give those studying the trades opportunities and hands-on experience.

“We are going to need lots of tradesmen — masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and things of that nature — and we have already begun to build a framework to bring in young people that can be mentored and learn,” he said.

“We have a lot of young people coming up looking for opportunities and we are hoping this project can serve as an outlet for them, an opportunity for them to grow and develop themselves.”

Mr Dean said the Emperial Group hoped to bring the community together on the project to create something that met the needs of everyone.

Ms Dillas added that it was excited to see the progress at the site, noting that even the ageing “train” that had been parked on the property was up and running again.

Mr Dean said: “The Playhouse has sat dormant for decades now. Unfortunately it has taken this long for us to get to a place where we can act on it.”

Tickets for The Tempest are available now at www.devils-isle.org.

• Contact Séamus Miller at seamus@devils-isle.org for more information about free educational performances on September 16, 17 and 18