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Coronet set for Easter launch

'in SE1' news team

London's major new dance-to-arts venue opens at the Elephant & Castle this Easter. The Coronet, the three screen ABC Cinema which closed in 1999, opens its doors on Easter Eve Saturday 19 April.

The run-down venue, dating from the 19th century and known to Charlie Chaplin, has been restored to its 1920s Art Deco glory.

The cinema tradition continues with the opening of a 572-seater raked auditorium for film screenings as well as live performances. It will also provide a versatile home for regular club nights, live music, art house cinema screenings and special events.

Angela Reed, who is overseeing the relaunch of the Coronet, says: "The recreation of the Coronet is being driven by a team drawn from the club, cinema and theatre industries who all share a vision of a space that blurs the boundaries of traditional club and arts cultures. We are creating space, and entertainment, for an eclectic young audience looking for something fresh, individual, exciting and, above all, stimulating."

Not Cricket, a student design collective from Central St Martins, has been appointed as 'artists-in-residence'. Not Cricket is working on film, video, photography and illustration installations for the completed venue.

Jeremy Millins, Managing Director of The Pure Group, spotted the potential of the then derelict Coronet in 2001. He approached theatrical entrepreneur and founder of the production company Gekko, Dominic Madden, who acquired the venue and funded the redevelopment, with The Pure Group's management and consultancy arm contracted to oversee renovation work and provide ongoing management.

Back in January Dominic Madden posted in the London SE1 Forum that he looks forward to "The Coronet playing its part within the significant cultural and economic regeneration of Elephant and Castle".

The restored interior will be unveiled to invited guests at a party a week before the official opening.

www.coronet-london.com

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