Kilburn’s beloved theatre is relaunching with a new name, an announcement was made that from today it will be known as Kiln theatre; the backlash ensued shortly thereafter.
The theatre formerly known as Tricycle is undergoing a £7m revamp, due for an autumn / winter opening later this year.
The Guardian interviewed Indhu Rubasingham, the theatre’s Artistic Director, where she pitched the rich tapestry of ideas, meaning and symbolism behind the name change:
‘Kilns have a relationship with cultures across the world, they are a physical thing, melting pots associated with heat and cooking.’
So today I’ve learned a new word, having looked it up in the dictionary, it appears that Kiln, means some sort of furnace chamber.
The social media response to the rebrand was hostile:
Tricycle was apart of Kilburn’s history
Been going to the Tricycle Theatre since the 1980s.
So its disappointing to see that it has been renamed the Kiln Theatre.
One of the few iconic names left in Kilburn is no more
— Gary Lewis ?? ?? (@slidemongoose) April 11, 2018
A name does mean something. The Tricycle was an important community brand. ‘The Kiln’ (Kilburn missing the bur, are you kidding??) is just stupid. https://t.co/GExEYjeB84
— Sarah Coombes (@Sarahcoombez) April 11, 2018
Local people aren’t impressed
‘The Kiln’ catchy isn’t? NOT! in my humble opinion. Apparently this is what the Tricycle in Kilburn has been renamed?
— womanist21 (@Bs3Yvonne) April 11, 2018
I liked the old name ?
— Emma Drage (@EditorEmma) April 11, 2018
the tricycle is being renamed kiln theatre!! it's going to take me a while to get over this news https://t.co/LFVzvuYnEA
— Sienna Rodgers (@siennamarla) April 11, 2018
….kiln theatre?….not just kilburn theatre?
— ?⚫?? (@KhushiDushi) April 11, 2018
Sad but hopeful
Really sad they've changed the name., but looking forward to seeing the transformation https://t.co/e0iRjy216w
— NW6GoodBadUgly (@NW6GoodBadUgly) April 11, 2018
Good news. The Tricycle is finally re-opening. Bad news. It’s changing its name to @KilnTheatre. https://t.co/33gDVS98IV
— Geoff Barraclough (@w9maidavale) April 11, 2018
Bring on the future
I like the new name. Tricycle never made sense to me. Kiln at least has something to do with Kilburn
— Clea Romeo (@CleaRomeo) April 11, 2018
.@KilnTheatre – after first yelling “WHAT?”, I now love it – not just b/c it brings its vibrant location to the forefront, Kiln is a neat brand that’ll be embedded in every theatre-goers consciousness soon. A creative choice that bodes well for the future. #Kilburn #KilnTheatre
— Kilburn Herald (@KilburnHerald) April 11, 2018
It was also pointed out that a Kiln theatre already exists
Oh dear… Looks like the Kiln Theatre has been in existence in Birmingham for a while…. https://t.co/6E0xuCzAQT
— Life In Kilburn (@LifeInKilburn) April 11, 2018
The theatre formerly known as Tricycle worked with a branding agency to help it dream up its new moniker. If the theatre approached the public to suggest a new name, what would you have suggested? Leave your answers in the comments below.
My Kilburn based family and our Trike-going friends are in shock, and mourning, too. We’re collectively gobsmacked at how affected we feel by the arrogance of this development. The Tricycle was something generations of us felt truly proud of. The ground-breaking and important work … the ranks of illustrious artists who have given their support to something we were glad was a vital part of our community … And it went beyond that: the Tricycle had a London-wide, a nationwide and (actually) an international reputation. What misguided focus group came up with such a deeply disrespectful gesture? You don’t ‘rebrand’ a cherished institution behind closed doors without telling each and every person who cared about it that they really don’t matter. Names do signify, and this one smacks of disconnected vanity. It also doesn’t make any business sense. We were regulars, and even with the theatre closed for so long went to the cinema most weeks, sometimes twice. We met up for tea and cake or a glass of wine or (back when that was on offer) a meal. We took our mates and visitors there. We hung out with pleasure, admired the gallery, attended workshops, and we also became members and made donations. But it’s a bad feeling now just passing by.