Stewart Lee is coming to the Ultimate Picture Palace in November to support our campaign to save the cinema.
So far, nearly 24,000 people have signed a petition calling for our landlord Oriel College to extend our lease so we can stay where we belong, in the building which was built to be a cinema in 1911 – and we’re delighted to have Stewart Lee’s support too.
We’re hosting three late night events in which he’ll perform his intimate Pea Green Boat show – and all profits from the three events will be donated to our campaign fund.
Pea Green Boat is a darkly comic response to Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussy-cat. Stewart will introduce and perform the poem with live musical accompaniment. Each performance will be followed by an audience Q&A and book-signing.
Tickets for the events on Monday 9th, Tuesday 10th, and Wednesday 11th November have just gone on sale.
Stewart Lee said: “I learned about film at the UPP in the 80s. I’m looking forward to coming back with Pea Green Boat and reliving some memories. It’s a brilliant cinema – it’s hard to understand why Oriel wouldn’t see the UPP as a jewel in its crown.”
Cinema Director Micaela Tuckwell said: “It’s fantastic to have Stewart’s support for the cinema. His events are a great example of the diverse programme we run here, and of what we stand to lose if we don’t get a long term commitment from Oriel to our future on Jeune Street.”
Pea Green Boat comes at the end of a series of events demonstrating the incredible versatility of the UPP team and the building which houses the cinema. Five worthy winners of this summer’s My UPP competition will stage two hour events at the cinema – including an immersive Deep Space session led by Astrophysicist and broadcaster Professor Chris Lintott, and an evening of sets by female DJs.
