Theatre

Norwich Theatre has become an Associate Partner Theatre of Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

The organisations said the formal partnership cements a commitment to bringing Shakespeare work and storytelling to Norwich.

Norwich Theatre has worked with the RSC’s Learning and National Partnerships team for a number of years and will now join RSC’s Associate Schools Programme, providing resources for teachers, workshops for pupils and small scale shows for schools from September.

The partnership will also build upon existing community work, with the theatre planning to work with local adult communities in the county who would not normally have access to live performance.

RSC’s Acting Artistic Director Erica Whyman described the partnership as “really special”.

“We both believe that the role of the theatre company is to ensure everyone has access to creativity, because creativity can help us all to find resilience, to find our community, find friendship and also understand the world.”

Norwich Theatre Creative Programs Director, Wendy Ellis, called the new partnership “the next natural step" for all the collaborative work the two companies already do together.

“Our audiences love to see RSC tours come to Norwich and we are proud to bring world-class Shakespeare to the region for local people to enjoy. We have been delighted to partner on all of this fantastic work together.”
 

Three theatres have been shortlisted for this year’s Most Welcoming Theatre gong at the UK Theatre Awards.

Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, and New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich were chosen by an industry panel, following 40 online submissions for the award from venues across the UK.

Building design, how audiences are greeted on arrival, and outreach projects were all considered as judges assessed how welcoming the theatres are in the areas of ‘place’, ‘people’ and ‘programme’.

Jon Gilchrist and Stephanie Sirr, Co-Presidents of UK Theatre, said: “This year’s finalists are three very different venues from different parts of the country.

“What they have in common is a mission to take high-quality work beyond their walls and out into their local communities, as well as making their physical spaces as outward-looking and easily navigable as possible.”

The winner will be announced at the UK Theatre Awards on Sunday 23 October at London’s Guildhall. It will be the first awards’ ceremony since 2019, when Storyhouse in Cheshire took the prize.

Two theatres in Bradford have received more than £180,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help them explore their history.

St George’s Hall, which opened in 1853, has hosted big names including Charles Dickens, Harry Houdini and David Bowie.

The Alhambra Theatre, built in 1913 and home to Bradford’s annual pantomime, has hosted acts such as Laurel and Hardy and Morecambe & Wise.

Yorkshire Live reports that the money will fund a a three-year project, starting this month, to develop and deliver “an extensive heritage activity programme”. The programme will look at, among other things, the lengthy history of pantomime at the Alhambra.

The cash comes from the Lottery’s Heritage Centre Stage activity programme. The Lottery says the funding will “unlock the heritage associated with Bradford’s historic city centre venues and engage with a range of people in the district”.

Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places said: “Culminating in 2025 when Bradford will be UK City of Culture, we are thrilled to receive this award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for our project; Heritage Centre Stage which will support a range of people from across the Bradford district to engage with the heritage in our fantastic, historic venues, in a way which has real meaning to their lives.”

The UK's only exclusively LGBT+ theatre is seeking a new home after the sudden announcement of its closure.

Andy Hill, the operations director and producer of London theatre and bar Above the Stag, has said the past five years in its Vauxhall premises had been "extremely happy and successful but financially very challenging".

“Regretfully, it has not been possible to come up with a feasible business plan for the next five years in our existing venue. Our landlord, The Arch Company, has been very understanding and supportive," he said.

Hill cited Network Rail’s need to carry out a brick safety inspection and repairs to the arches as an additional factor in the closure.

“As a Charity and the UK’s only exclusively LGBT+ theatre, we are delighted to have staged award winning productions, sponsored new talent of every kind, provided a rare cross-generational queer space for our LGBT+ community and given you all great nights out,” he said.

All the theatre’s furniture and equipment will be kept in storage, he said, adding that “Above the Stag is still very much alive and kicking”.

With commitments from benefactors totalling £2m over the next five years, the theatre is now seeking a new venue and preparing a five-year business plan.

The theatre is one of several LGBT-friendly spaces to close temporarily or permanently in the wake of pandemic restrictions.

Night Czar Amy Lamé told PinkNews that the Mayor of London’s office has been “working hard to protect venues, which suffered the impact of the pandemic restrictions, as well as ongoing issues of insecure leases, staff shortages and the spiralling cost of doing business”.

The Mayor of London’s Culture at Risk Business Support Fund allocated £225,000 to support LGBT venues during pandemic restrictions.

Wales Millennium Centre has released details of its purpose-built extended reality arts venue, which is scheduled to open on 27 August.

Bocs, which is Welsh for box, is the first space of its kind in a Welsh arts centre. It will present a programme of 360° films and projections as well as extended reality (XR) experiences, including augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality.

Alongside an event programme, a series of talks and workshops will be hosted in a new XR studio, providing opportunities for artists, educators and young creators to gain hands-on experience and explore ways to make an impact through immersive media.

David Massey, Senior Producer (Digital Experiences) at Wales Millennium Centre, said Bocs will “showcase and celebrate the best of immersive storytelling in Wales and across the world, intersecting technology, visual art, theatre and music”.

“Immersive experiences are a great way to bring audiences together, challenge ideas and transport you to new worlds.”

“We hope Bocs will inspire new audiences and intrigue the next generation of story makers, introducing more people to the immense possibilities of this exciting medium.”

A redeveloped theatre and cultural centre will open in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire on 10 August.

Theatre Porto will be the only specialist, purpose-built theatre and culture centre for children and young people in Cheshire. Its name was decided on following consultation with local young people, based on the ideas of child-centredness, place and playfulness.

Previously called Action Transport Theatre, the cultural space reopens after a £2.8m development project funded by Cheshire West and Cheshire Council and Arts Council England.

It features a 150-seat auditorium, rehearsal rooms, workshop rooms, a temporary gallery, spaces for artists and a café. 

“We provide a welcoming and accessible space for all children and young people, to tap into their creativity and potential,” said Artistic Director Nina Hajiyianni.

“Our mission is to champion their ideas and creativity and at the same time, create opportunities for adults to rediscover their sense of curiosity and playfulness." 
 

A new build West End theatre will open this autumn, the first for 50 years.

The theatre, called @sohoplace, forms part of a £300m regeneration project led by property giants Derwent London in a corner of Soho recently named Soho Place, the first new street name in Soho in 72 years.

@sohoplace features a 602-seat auditorium, a creatives' floor with rehearsal space, actors’ Green room, bar and terrace, and a ground floor with a public restaurant and bar. It is owned by West End producer Nica Burns and operated by Nimax Theatres. Details of the first production are expected soon.

Burns says she wanted to create a theatre that adds a different dimension to the West End landscape.

“The incredible team of engineers pulled off the greatest of structural feats, building over a major underground transport hub - a challenging place to build a theatre - achieving perfect acoustics and no vibrations.”

The project was designed by architect Simon Allford who said @sohoplace is “undoubtedly the most complex and delightful project I have ever worked on: the highly engineered architecture and design of a Swiss watch but built on an urban scale."