[1] The DM, as the Donovan Maule theatre was generally known, officially closed in 1984,[2] amid rising costs and limited audiences.
Falkland and his team sustained a year-round repertory schedule and produced an annual musical, complete with a pocket orchestra, maintaining an impressive level of quality.
While initially the majority of plays were dominated by mostly white, mostly British casts, Falkland slowly began to train and introduce more black Kenyan actors, among them Lupita Nyong'o, who won an Academy Award in 2012 for her performance in 12 Years a Slave.
Mason had died three years earlier, while Ward and Falkland's ex-wife, Debonnaire, had left the theatre to pursue careers elsewhere.
Phoenix, named because it had risen from the ashes of the DM, closed its doors for the last time in April 2017 following what was described as a long period of debt, neglect and management infighting.