Ash and Babu are Gloucester-based businessmen and owners of The Picturedrome. In 1983, the building was up for sale, and Ash, after 10 years of being in the UK, was interested in turning the property into a Hindu community centre by crowdfunding. This was unsuccessful, but again in 2007 the building came up for sale - A phone call came through, ‘how do you feel about buying a theatre..?’ This time Ash and Babu, as business partners, bought the building for £250,000. They managed the theatre for several years, running productions, concerts, parties and community events and programmes, with the Asha Centre and Lila Poonawalla Foundation using the space initially, and productions of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and Bugsy Malone (Babu’s favourite) following. Ash and Babu feel they are getting older and now want to pass the building onto new owners, with a strong belief that it can be restored to its former self.
Their experience of managing the theatre
On their dreams
Ash on the High Street
On Kings College using the Theatre
Story of purchasing the Picturedrome
Final words on the Picturedrome