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Miguel Sapochnik Hayo Wagenoar Richard Warmsley Sydney Pollack Michael Harris Beverly Price-Fox Neil Jordan Lee Santana John Richmond Stephen Norris Leonard White
EVENTSCALENDAR
EVENTSCALENDAR
NEW LOOK FOR 195
New kitchen, new café, new menus, new look. John Morrell reports on the August refurbishment at 195 Piccadilly. The aim was three-fold: provide members with improved facilities, create a more modern ambience without losing the dig- nity of the building and install state-of-the-art safety systems.
Thanks to excellent partner- ships with Roux Fine Dining, BARCO, Silicon Media, Robert
O Hara Architects and others, a great deal has been achieved with a minimum of headaches - except for Charlie North Lewis, the Academy’s General Manager who has had a throbbing head all
August. Carpets probably caused his worst attack.
But Charlie has bounced back now that people are admiring his work. “What has been achieved during August at relatively small cost, has been truly remarkable” according to Sir Sydney Samuelson - and he knows a thing or two about BAFTA projects.
In summary, we now have a completely new kitchen with chef Dominic Barham already serving four course dinners for 200 as well as providing an increased range of hot or cold lunch and evening snacks for members.
The Servery has been gently transformed into Café @ 195 and Albert Roux came in to shake hands on a new five year catering contract deal with Academy
ground entertainment and (mute) industry-related advertisements and film/television previews.
We shall be trying out a pilot schedule during the autumn and look forward to input from mem-
Meanwhile, we wait eagerly for the decision of the Academy Hanging Cttee. Simon Relph, Michael Attwell, Sir Sydney, Sue Thexton and Duncan Kenworthy are taking stock of all the
uniquely marvellous Cornel Lucas pic- tures to decide how best to exhibit them - perhaps in a series of rotating themed displays.
We are also researching nostal- gic film and televi- sion posters, art in their own right and how best to display
our Fellows, benefactors and Academy Friends who have contributed so generously over the years.
At the moment, it is a bit sparse. Please bear with us. The Hanging Cttee is working dili- gently to ensure that when pic- tures and posters go back on the walls they give great pleasure to old and young members with a mixture reflecting a go-ahead organisation deeply conscious of its traditions. ■
chairman Simon Relph. The Piccadilly Bar has lost a staircase but gained space and light.
The Run Run Shaw Theatre has been freshened. New techni- cal equipment includes the BARCO 9200 (now one of three BARCO’S giving stunning pic- tures in all areas of the Academy); modern sound sys- tem and up to the minute small conference AV and PC facilities. Julie Chadwell (juliec@bafta.org) is already taking bookings for this most attractive central London facility for 30/40 people. Linked to the more self-contained
gallery, we hope this will become very popular with the industry for press and product launches as well as small group meetings and demonstrations.
In all, we now have 10 Thompson plasma screens at 195 capable of being programmed individually. The aim over the next few months will be to pro- vide members and guests with a non-intrusive mixture of news, information, live action, back-
bers. A fully devel- oped schedule will be launched early next
year. Grateful thanks to Dr Selly Saini at Silicon Media and Thompson’s for choosing BAFTA to be their shop window.
Elsewhere, in the background, but crucially important, a new air- conditioning plant in the David Lean Room; new fire-alarm system throughout; re-designed and equipped Projection Box which Keith Jordan will be delighted to demonstrate.
PHOTOS
FOR THE BAFTA PORTRAIT GALLERY
To all members – please continue to send us portrait photographs of yourselves so we may run them on the
BAFTA NEWS AND EVENTS CALENDAR
page in The BAFTA Portrait Gallery (above).
We will return them after use should you so desire.
OR E-MAIL TO graffoyer@aol.com
Photos: Views of the new look BAFTA, INCLUDING CHAIRMAN SIMON RELPH WITH ALBERT ROUX, THE MENU OF CAFE@195 AND THE SERVING COUNTER, THE NEWLY LAID-OUT PICCADILLY BAR AREA, THE NEW KITCHENS AND RUN RUN SHAW THEATRE
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