Both South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and South Yorkshire Police have been called to the University of Sheffield Drama Studio on Shearwood Road this evening. Around 15 firefighters, three fire engines and two police units responded to an incident towards the rear of the building, formerly the Theatre Workshop space, with passers-by and building users reporting smelling smoke.
Izzy Wood, co-director of the Sheffield University Theatre Company’s upcoming production Shakespeare in the Park: As You Like It was in the middle of a rehearsal as the incident unfolded: “We saw blue lights and went out to see what was happening…and were told not to go back in”. Several attendees of the rehearsal reported smelling smoke earlier in the evening, before emergency services arrived.
The University of Sheffield Drama Studio is split into several sections, with the main auditorium and backstage areas closest to Glossop road, with building rehearsal rooms located behind this. Behind those, and further up the hill, is the disused Theatre Workshop, which was an integral part of the university’s drama courses before these were ended. It is believed that it was this section of the building, or the nearby Sir William Empsom House building, that the incident occurred.
It is currently unclear how serious the reported fire was, or how much damage has been caused, if any, but it is believed that the evening’s production went ahead unaffected in the main auditorium. This is likely to be a blow to the university’s theatre societies, who have reportedly been hoping to move into the section of the building at some point this year. With details currently so sparse, it is unclear what the incident has been, how serious it was, or what ramifications it will have for the local theatre community.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have been contacted for comment
