Theatre News

Three injured after Fuerzabruta set collapses at Roundhouse

An eyewitness reported that part of the set ‘collapsed onto technicians and members of the public’ during last night’s show

Theo Bosanquet

| London | Off-West End |

18 January 2014

An eyewitness took this photo of the set collapse
© Twitter @WillyLewis

Three people have been reported injured after part of the set collapsed during a performance of Fuerzabruta at the Roundhouse in Camden last night (17 January 2014).

Audience member Steve Johns told the BBC: "Half an hour into the spectacular Fuerzabruta show in the Roundhouse this evening the sail which was spinning above the crowded floor on which acrobats were performing, collapsed on to technicians and members of the public below.

"People were trying to get out from underneath. Fortunately, due to the efficient security service and the calm of crowd, the worst was avoided."

Three audience members were reportedly treated for minor injuries by London Ambulance and taken to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.

A spokesperson for London Ambulance said one person was treated for a facial injury, one for an ankle injury and one for concussion.

The Roundhouse, which is planning to go ahead with tonight's performance of the show, tweeted: "For anyone who couldn't see tonight's Fuerzabruta performances, please bear with us and we will contact you directly from Monday. Thank you."

Thanks to everyone at tonight’s Fuerzabruta show for your understanding. Apologies to those expecting to see the cancelled 10pm. More soon.

— Roundhouse (@RoundhouseLDN) January 17, 2014

Johns, who attended the performance with his daughter, added: "I saw only one person wounded on the ground before I was made to leave. The rest of the show was cancelled."

Fuerzabruta, a physical theatre spectacular which translates as "brute force", premiered in Buenos Aires in 2005 and has been seen round the world.

The incident comes just a few weeks after the collapse of a section of the Apollo Theatre ceiling onto audience members during a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

Fuerzabruta is scheduled to continue at the Roundhouse, where it has played several previous seasons, until 2 March 2014.