Belfast?s Lyric Theatre (pictured left), the only producing theatre in Northern Ireland, has received a boost to its plans to build a new theatre with an award of £6m from the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure. The existing building is in a state of disrepair with limited disabled access and insufficient workshop and rehearsal space.
Staff and performers are currently housed in temporary buildings to the rear of the theatre. Economic appraisals commissioned by the Lyric have shown that it would not be cost-effective to develop the existing facilities, suggesting instead that the long-term future of the organisation could only be secured with a new building on the current site. The new theatre, with a larger 400-seat auditorium, a riverside café and bar, and a studio theatre for youth, community and education activities, would increase the theatre?s potential income as well as providing an improved service to the local community. The venue needs to raise a final £3.25m before the plans of architects O?Donnell & Tuomey (pictured right) can be realised.