Francine Black, Gleaner Writer

Members of Ashe in 'Curfew'. - File

The sustainability of performing arts company Ashe is hanging in the balance as the group has a no place to call home.

The absence of a set place to train and hold its shows has affected the group's plans to be a sustainable entity. "It affects us at different levels. For any company or organisation to grow there has to be some stability," Conroy Wilson, executive director of the group, told The Sunday Gleaner.

Homeless since 2005

Ashe has been without a home since 2005, when the building they were occupying was sold and the new owners terminated their lease. Ashe bounced around around until they were allowed to practise at the Edna Manley School of the Performing Arts, where they have been able to secure some space.

But Ashe's search for a home began from as far back as 2003 when the group acquired a building in Nannyville Gardens, East Kingston. According to Wilson, they had leased the building from the government and spent millions refurbishing it to suit their needs. The facility had a theatre, which allowed the group to hold its own concerts and performances. "We were on our way to becoming sustainable. We had a relationship with the community, we had a theatre that we used to hold our performances," Wilson said.

Although there were challenges, such as extortion, Ashe remained at the facility and sought to forge a strong relationship with the community. However, the situation worsened when a security guard was murdered in front of the audience and performers, including children, at the end of a concert at the facility.

Group's future

The fear caused by this incident forced the group to relocate, and Wilson said Ashe found a place on Waterloo Road in 2004. Again, they spent lots of money renovating the building to suit their needs, but the performing arts group's future there was put in jeopardy when the owner of the property died and the property was put up for sale in 2005.

Wilson said the group tried to purchase the property; however, it was sold before they could come up with all the money. Although they were allowed to remain at the property for a few months after its sale, when the new owner was ready to use it they had to leave.

Since leaving that location, Wilson said they have managed to strike a deal with Edna Manley to use some of their space for practice during the times that they are free, which has been mostly at nights.

He said Ashe has also had to scale down its operations, with Wilson operating something of a mobile office and suspending some of the company's training sessions. "There are lots of people who want to be a part of our classes ... but we can't facilitate them because we do not have enough space," he said.

This space issue has not killed the spirit of the group, which has managed to survive despite the inconvenience. "What we do is advertise and have auditions once a year, but we are limited by the number of students that we can take," Wilson said.

Searching for a location

In the meantime, Wilson said he has been checking out a number of locations and has tried to speak with the prime minister and the minister of culture, but without success. However, Wilson said he hopes someone will recognise their plight and assist them. "We can't go into next year with the same haphazard thing," he said.

Any new home the group gets, he said, will have to be a permanent one, or one with a long lease. "With the infrastructure that we have to set up we can only enter into a long-term lease," Wilson said.

The non-governmental performing arts group was founded by the late Joseph Robinson and Paulette Bellamy. Ashe has over 15 international awards to its name, and has performed in many countries across the world.