Theatre

Plans to regenerate cultural assets in Kilmarnock have been revealed using some of the £20m awarded to it from the government's second round of Levelling Up funding earlier this year.

A key grant beneficiary will be the Palace Theatre and Grand Hall, which will undergo extensive refurbishment. The upgraded building will offer improved accessibility, dining areas, space to host a youth theatre company and a new entrance.

Anneke Freel, Chief Officer East Ayrshire Leisure Trust, said: “This is such an exciting project for Kilmarnock and for Ayrshire that will allow us to create a theatre and concert hall that will attract high-profile performers and make performing arts more accessible to local people.”

Funds will also be used to create a “travel corridor” to link the Palace Theatre, Grand Hall and the Dick Institute with a “cultural parkland” incorporating a natural amphitheatre with a seating capacity of up to 150 people. 

Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of East Ayrshire Council, said: “We are all tremendously excited by this project - this is the stuff dreams are made of! This investment in our cultural offering will bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to East Ayrshire.”

Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre will adopt a new leadership structure following the departure of its co-Artistic Directors earlier this year.

The Stage reports that rather than fill the roles vacated earlier this year by Roy Alexander Weise and Bryony Shanahan, Chief Executive Stephen Freeman intends to hire a Creative Director who will become one of three artistic leaders, alongside a new Associate Director and the theatre’s current Dramaturg, Suzanne Bell. 

The Creative Director will be responsible for programming but will not be expected to direct shows. They will also be Deputy Chief Executive, but not Joint Chief Executive with Freeman – as Weise and Shanahan had been. 

Freeman indicated that the new Creative Director will appoint five part-time Associates to represent “a collection of voices from different backgrounds and disciplines – artistic voices who will lead our programmes of work”.

Throughout its 47-year history, Royal Exchange has operated with a traditional Artistic Director model, though unusually, the role has been shared more often than not.

The National Theatre will trial early evening performances in an effort to adapt to the "post-Covid lifestyles" of its patrons.

The theatre said the move, which will involve a selected number of early-evening performances starting at 6.30 pm, follows research it conducted to understand how the habits of audiences have changed since the pandemic.

The trial will begin with performances in February and will continue until mid-June. A total of 20 performances across five different productions have been scheduled.

"The early evening performances will offer more flexibility for audiences to make the most of their evening, whether that’s more time to grab a bite to eat, to discuss the show over a glass or two, or simply not having to rush off to catch the last train," the National theatre said.

A theatre that lost its regular funding from Arts Council England (ACE) has finished a sell-out run of a musical aimed at securing its future.

The Watermill Theatre in Newbury, Berkshire, lost £464,000 of funding when ACE announced it was not part of its refreshed National Portfolio last November.

For the last twelve weeks, the venue has staged its largest scale production to date - an immersive production of Lord of the Rings, performed across a stage in the auditorium and a stage in the gardens.

The venue says it sold more than 17,000 tickets with almost half bought by first-time visitors.

Executive Director Claire Murray told the BBC the success has allowed the theatre to “look to the future with confidence”.

“As we move forward without statutory funding, it's vital that we explore how we can grow our income and reach more people.

“This is the beginning of a new chapter for The Watermill, and I'm pleased to say the success of The Lord of The Rings and the support we've had from audiences over these last few months, allows us to make exciting plans and look to the future with confidence.”

Somerset Council has put a £30m project to remodel the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil on hold due to rising costs.

At an executive committee meeting on 4 October, the council acknowledged that the current business case for the theatre's regeneration could "no longer be met" and "a revised business case would be necessary".

Councillors promised to “explore all the options” for the venue's future, which has been closed since April, with £1.77m already spent on preparatory works.

Plans to turn Octagon Theatre into Somerset’s ‘flagship arts venue’ were initially expected to cost £23m, with a grant from Arts Council England providing £10m and the remainder due to come from external borrowing.

When the project went out to formal tender in January 2023, the estimated cost had risen to £30.7m. A recent report from the council, which faces a predicted overspend of £26.1m this financial year, found increasing interest rates made the redevelopment “unaffordable”, with repayments expected to reach £1m annually. 

Council officers have been instructed to undertake an options appraisal, in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England (ACE), to investigate possible plans for the future of the site and create an updated business plan. 

One of the possibilities suggested by the report, would be a cheaper renovation estimated by contractors at £9m. However, this would mean the £10m grant from ACE for the initially approved project would be pulled.

Another possibility is reopening the theatre unchanged, a move that councillors warned could have a long-term negative impact on the arts in Yeovil.

Chris Hall, the council’s Executive Director for Communities, said all the options would be put before the executive committee “as soon as is reasonably and practically possible”.

Royal & Derngate has announced a timeline for reopening its main theatre spaces.

Performances will resume in the Northampton theatre's Royal Auditorium on 16 October and the Derngate Auditorium on 24 October. Meanwhile, theatre staff returned to administration and rear-of-house areas, with community groups expected to return to the building soon.  

The venue was forced to close on 4 September after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was discovered in the foyers, raising safety concerns and prompting an investigation.

The material, a lightweight form of concrete, was used in the construction of public buildings between the 1950s and the 1970s. It is described as “much weaker” than traditional concrete by the Standing Committee on Structural Safety.

The venue’s Filmhouse reopened on 18 September after access to the space was adapted, and a temporary box office was set up in a nearby pub. 

Managers had hoped that performances in the theatres would be able to resume by the end of September but deferred reopening to allow for the completion of a “final phase” of investigations into building materials found on the premises.

A statement from Royal & Derngate said that they and West Northamptonshire Council have worked “tirelessly” to allow audiences and staff to return to the building safely.

It said had modified some entry/exit routes and that there would be changes in the availability of some facilities so that audiences could be kept separate from impacted areas of the theatre foyer.

Jo Gordon, Chief Executive, said: “ We are so pleased to be able to open our doors to audiences safely again. 

“The experience may feel a little different in terms of getting to your seats, but the staff teams are working hard to ensure that everyone will receive a brilliant welcome and once again enjoy the high-quality entertainment they expect from Royal & Derngate”.