In a statement, the association said the “British Ambassador has issued a notification (...) asking for Estrela Hall to be vacated by the Lisbon Players”, and claims “this is a necessary step in an eviction process.”
Speaking to The Portugal News a representative for the group added “this naturally causes some alarm, but we are very aware of the strong and inspiring support shown in the unanimous vote of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly [AML] and the continued support of the local Parish.”
The British Embassy confirmed that the Lisbon Players have been officially notified that they must vacate the building.
While “facing the very real possibility of eviction” from the Hall, the group says it has “overwhelming proof of the importance of the survival of this unique institution”, alleging it has received “24 proposals for productions for the season of 2016/17.”
At the crux of the wrangle is that the site on which Estrela Hall stands is under contract to be sold by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), represented in Lisbon by the British Ambassador, to a commercial buyer.
The site is in the process of being sold for €3.5 million to private buyer Arquimelo 2 S.A. as part of the FCO’s “generalised strategy to divest itself of responsibility for non-core property, i.e. property not directly related to our diplomatic activity.”
The Embassy recently acknowledged that a promissory contract has already been signed.

It also explained it will not profit from the sale of the Estrela Site, with the exception of covering any costs incurred with the process of securing a sale, and that proceeds will be divided among the stakeholders.

Comprising several buildings with strong historic ties to the British community, the ‘Estrela Site’ “was granted to foreign communities in Lisbon by the Portuguese Crown at the end of the 18th century”, the Lisbon Players recall in their statement.
“Initially, the option was raised by Ambassador Sir John Holmes in 2000 that the theatre be detached from the sale and transferred to the Lisbon Players, and this was again presented by H.M.Ambassador John Buck in 2006.
“More recently, the British Embassy and FCO continue to insist on selling the site of five properties as a single entity, while the deactivated British Hospital and the parsonage remain abandoned and deteriorating”, the Lisbon Players criticise, waging: “There is a moral issue involved here. The land was originally given to foreign communities resident in Lisbon by the Portuguese crown. The Lisbon Players Association is still fulfilling the mandate of the original gift of land for the benefit of foreign communities in Lisbon.”
In February this year, Lisbon’s Municipal Assembly unanimously voted for a motion to seek ways to keep The Lisbon Players in Estrela Hall, the group elaborates, adding: “The Lisbon Players has also been recognised as an entity of ‘High Cultural Interest’ by Lisbon council.”
Estrela Hall was built in 1906 and was converted into a 99-seat theatre with the establishment of the Lisbon Players, which was founded in 1947.
The group recently launched the ‘SOS Estrela Hall’ petition in a bid to stay in its ‘home’ and “preserve international culture in Lisbon”, which has been signed by close to 2,300 supporters.
The petition is to be delivered to key decision-makers including UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, The Rt. Hon Philip Hammond MP, the British Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey MP, the Head of Portugal’s Parliament Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, and the Portuguese State Secretary for Culture, Isabel Botelho Leal.