Building Work 2024
Five years ago, the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee embarked on what they knew would be an extensive programme of repairs and improvements to our ageing building, in some cases, addressing issues that had not been attended to for several years.
A structural survey undertaken in the second half of 2023 indicated that the false ceiling erected inside the roof of the main auditorium in the 1970s, which houses the lighting gantry and a majority of the stage lights, was in need of attention. The fixings securing the structure to the roof joists and the top of the external walls need strengthening, without which the long-term safety of the structure could not be guaranteed.
To allow this work to be undertaken safely, it will be necessary to close the main auditorium, which will happen as soon as the final production of the current season, The Merry Wives of Windsor, finishes on 13 July.
Will this affect next season?
The first main stage production for 2024/25 will now be in December, and the rest of the season will then follow on as usual until July 2025.
That does not mean, however, that there will be no live theatre at all until December! Many of you will know that the foyer has been converted very successfully in the past into a studio theatre, and Artistic Director Shaun Hughes has some exciting plans to recreate the foyer studio theatre once again after the summer break. Watch this space!
What’s it going to cost?
As you can imagine, specialist building work does not come cheap. The final cost is expected to be in the region of £85,000. As well as the efforts the Trustees are making to raise the necessary funds, we need your help. The Trustees have set up a GoFundMe page specifically for this project. The link is below. We are grateful for any contributions, however large or small.
In the meanwhile, please give your full support to the two remaining productions of this season, Sheila’s Island and The Merry Wives of Windsor, to ensure a fitting finale to what has been a highly successful season.
Click here to donate: