BY FARAH NAYERI AND PATRICK COLE
The Almeida Theatre in North London thought its outreach program was on solid financial ground after the Lehman Brothers Foundation Europe pledged 227,850 pounds ($414,641) in 2007 for three years.
Now, with the charity’s parent company Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filing for bankruptcy protection and Barclays Plc poised to acquire its North American investment-banking unit, the theater wonders if the checks will still be in the mail. The Almeida was counting on the gift to cover arts education programs for disadvantaged students in east London schools.
“We don’t know what’s happening at all in that area of the company,” Janine Shalom, the Almeida Theatre’s spokeswoman, said in an interview. “The Almeida’s projects department has worked with many of Lehman’s staff over the last two years, and our thoughts are with them at these difficult times.”