Theatre Buildings at Risk Register 2015

Transcription

ISSUE #45 AUTUMN 15
Theatre Buildings at Risk
Register 2015
Theatres at Risk
Pinpointing the cracks
Showcase: Lyric Hammersmith
Theatres Protection Fund
Progress is possible
Protecting theatres for everyone
Century Theatre, Snibston
2
Lyric Hammersmith
Photo: Jim Stephenson
Wilton’s Music Hall
18
13
Theatres at Risk 2– 6
Theatre Buildings at Risk Register 2015 7– 8
Pinpointing the cracks 10–11
Showcase: Lyric Hammersmith 13–16
Theatres Protection Fund 18– 19
Progress is possible 20–22
&
Theatres Round-up 24–25
Current Casework 26 –27
Book Review 28
Front cover photo:
Alexandra Palace
Theatre, London
" !
!!!
#
! Theatres Magazine
Editor-in-chief: Mhora Samuel
Managing Editor: Kate Carmichael
Production Editor: Sam Hall
Advertising sales: Nicola Rowland
© 2015 The Theatres Trust Charitable Fund.
All unsigned or otherwise uncredited articles are
the work of the Editors. The views expressed
editorially or by correspondents in this magazine
are not necessarily those of the Trust. Notes,
queries and letters are always welcome.
ISSN: 1759 -7668
Design: Vincent Design
Print: Newnorth
Theatres at Risk
Mhora Samuel
Director
This Autumn issue of TM is dedicated
to our Theatre Buildings at Risk
Register 2015. There are 31 theatres
on the Register this year and our new
Architecture Adviser Claire Appleby,
who has responsibility for our Theatres
at Risk work, introduces the Register.
At the Trust we’ve also been working with
the newly formed Music Venues Alliance, the
Mayor of London’s Cultural Team, and have
an ongoing relationship with the Cinema
Theatres Association. Those organisations are
all very aware of the current risks facing music
venues, cinemas and other cultural venues,
particularly from redevelopment, many of
whom started life as theatres or cine-varieties.
The Theatres Trust’s authority as a
statutory consultee in the planning system
means we are able to engage directly with
developers and planners, and the advisory
team here at the Trust is able to offer
expert advice to theatre owners. Our work is
considered to be a real lifesaver – particularly
for theatres such as the Finborough and
Camden People’s Theatre when their viability
is threatened – and we provide a model
which many look to replicate.
Claire makes reference to our recent
Conference 15: Valuing Theatres, which took
place on 23 June 2015. This conference
highlighted the importance of theatres
working productively with developers and
finding ways for all parties to work together.
This is possible. In London, where demand
is growing, four new theatres on the horizon
involve developers – news of London Theatre
Company’s plans to create a new 900-seat
theatre have been announced by Nick Starr
and Sir Nicolas Hytner. The Trust has also
been working with Nimax on its plans for the
new theatre at the top of Tottenham Court
Road, with Harvey Goldsmith and his new
Wembley Theatre, the new Riverside Studios,
and the owners of the former Collins Music
Hall in Islington.
Balancing the needs of the theatre
industry, ensuring theatre buildings meet their
demands and that they are fit for purpose and
in good condition are factors which determine
the future of theatres on our Register. This
is particularly felt by many theatres that have
to maintain and care for aging suspended
fibrous plaster ceilings in their auditoria. We
reported recently that new guidance on the
inspection regime has been issued by the
Association of British Theatre Technicians
and I’m pleased that FIS, which represents
the Finishes and Interiors sector, the trade
body for the plastering industry has also
been working hard to develop a framework
for its members. Chris Wheal and Joe Cilia
report on FIS’s recent work which theatre
owners should be aware of when securing
the services of a suitable plaster specialist.
Another aspect of our Register is the extent
to which theatres have community support
and are engaging with their communities.
Adapting and developing theatres so that they
offer more for their local communities helps
to secure their future – and the future of
theatre. The consultation process that the Lyric
Hammersmith went through to inform decisionmaking on its new Reuben Foundation Wing
was exemplary. The Lyric’s original auditorium
was rescued from demolition in 1969 when its
fine plasterwork was removed and reinstated
by the firm Jackson’s and the auditorium
relocated to King Street ten years later
as part of a shopping centre development.
Rick Mather Architects designed the recent
project, which opened in April 2015 and they
describe their work in our Showcase.
The Trust’s Register has been published
annually since 2007 and many of the theatres
on the Register sadly still feature. Like any
building project, a lot of energy and effort is
required to secure their future, and the time
it takes to put plans in place, fundraise and
undertake a capital project can often stretch
to 10 years – even when theatres are already
in use and being cared for. There have been
success stories however, and examples such
as Wilton’s and Alexandra Palace provide us
with hope. There are certainly lessons to be
learnt and Rebecca Morland, our Theatres
Adviser, in her piece, ‘Progress is possible’,
looks back and evaluates what it takes to
bring a theatre back to life.
I’m delighted to report that our own
Theatres Protection Fund has been boosted
by a £25,000 grant from the Mackintosh
Foundation towards a new London Theatres
Small Grants Scheme. On page 18, Kate
Carmichael, the Trust’s Resources Adviser,
reports and provides news of the seventh
round of our UK Small Grants Scheme
supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber
Foundation and Judy Craymer MBE.
Finally, if you are coming to PLASA London
at Excel from the 4-6 October 2015 we’ll be
hosting the TheatreStage again this year, so
do come by and say hello. And for those of
you interested in tours of theatre buildings,
theatres participating in the Trust’s Visit
Theatres project will be opening their doors
during September and there’s a new Events
calendar on the visittheatres.org website
where you can find out more. If you visit
a theatre remember to #visittheatres any
social media posts and let us know.
Consultants
John Earl
Jonathan Lane
The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Public
Body for Theatres. The Trust provides leadership in
the planning and protection of theatres, safeguarding
existing theatres and improving the planning
environment for theatres across England, Scotland
and Wales.
General & contact information
Trustees
Tim Eyles (Chair)
Nick Allott OBE
Ruth Eastwood
Tim Foster
Oliver Goodwin
Prof Gavin Henderson CBE
Jerry Katzman
Dame Penelope Keith DL
Judith Mellor OBE
Dara Ó Briain
Peter Roberts
Matthew Rooke
Simon Ruddick
Ann Skippers
Anna Stapleton
Special Adviser
Peter J Wilson
Staff
Mhora Samuel
Director
Ross Anthony
Planning Adviser
Claire Appleby
Architecture Adviser
Mary-Ann Avotri
Finance Officer
Corinne Beaver
General Manager
Kate Carmichael
Resources Adviser
Rebecca Morland
Theatres Adviser
Stephanie Rolt
Records Officer
The Theatres Trust
22 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0QL
T 020 7836 8591 F 020 7836 3302
info@theatrestrust.org.uk www.theatrestrust.org.uk
@theatrestrust
Bradford Odeon
Image: Tim Ronalds
Theatres
at Risk
2015
Claire Appleby, the
Trust’s Architecture
Adviser reports on
theatres on the 2015
Register.
Swindon
Mechanics
Institute
The 31 theatres on the Trust’s Theatre
Buildings at Risk (TBAR) Register 2015
were announced on 17 September 2015
at Wilton’s Music Hall in London. Grade II*
Wilton’s, itself previously on the Register,
has undergone a spectacular restoration,
firstly, with works to its auditorium and
more recently bringing front of house
areas back into use. The result is positive
proof of how, through perseverance and
commitment, a theatre can be given
a new lease of life.
Wilton’s Music Hall’s very presence has
helped to regenerate the area of Tower
Hamlets around it and its value as a building
goes well beyond a straight forward heritage
story. It is its value as a theatre that makes
this building unique. This was the subject
of this year’s Theatres Trust Conference on
23 June 2015 which asked the question
‘what value do theatres bring to regeneration,
commercial development and mixed use
schemes?’. Presentations included many
new build projects - the proposed Factory
Manchester; Sadler’s Wells new dance theatre
in Olympicopolis; and Harvey Goldsmith on
his new Wembley Theatre. But they also
included stories of existing theatres being
brought back to life because of their value to
their communities. One such theatre was
the Bradford Odeon, whose champion,
Lee Craven of Bradford Live,
talked about his vision for
the venue, one of
our 31 Theatre
Buildings at
Risk.
For the Bradford Odeon, there is now
a real opportunity for it to live again and play
an important part in the regeneration of the
city given its location, situation (overlooking
the new City Park) and proximity to the
neighbouring public and civic buildings. The
Council’s regeneration of the area, coupled
with the zeal and enthusiasm of Lee Craven
and his team, are helping to turn what once
were dreams into reality. The building, with
its spectacular auditorium that can seat
approximately 3,000, could soon see a
new lease of life as a live entertainment
venue. Additional commercial ventures are
planned for the grand ballroom, restaurant
and entrance areas. There is still a way to
go to secure the necessary finances and
permissions, however, its future is now much
more hopeful.
The Alexandra Palace Theatre had good
news earlier this year when the Heritage
Lottery Fund (HLF) approved its Stage 2
funding. It received £18.8m from the HLF and
only has a further £1m to raise. The theatre is
one of the most architecturally significant and
historic parts of the Grade II listed Alexandra
Palace entertainment complex and an
important keystone to its wider regeneration.
The theatre will be refurbished as an adaptable
performance space that can be used for
theatre, cinema, live music, conferences,
weddings, banquets, film shoots etc, tapping
a range of income streams from performance,
community and commercial uses.
At Tameside Hippodrome news also
remains positive where strong community
leadership through The Hippodrome Limited,
working alongside a supportive Local
Authority, means it is edging ever nearer to
submitting funding applications to start works.
These positive stories illustrate how
theatres at risk can be rescued and Rebecca
Morland goes into more detail in her article
Coronet, London
Photo: Ian Grundy
later in this issue. But as we all know the
future of some of the theatres on our Register
is much bleaker. Cuts to council finances and,
perhaps more crucially, the cost of land and
the short-term profitability of land sale for
residential or commercial use can overshadow
the value of culture and the contribution that
these theatres can bring to the long term
growth, vibrancy and vitality of an area.
The plight of the Coronet, Southwark is
a case in point. Here, the value of having a
thriving music venue in a building designed
by renowned cinema architect W R Glen
has seemingly been overlooked by the
developer of the Elephant and Castle Town
Centre Regeneration project. The scheme
proposes a cultural offer in the second phase
of development, but it is unclear whether
this offer includes any type of performance
space – the Coronet is conspicuous in its
absence of a mention. An application to get
the Coronet Grade II listed because of its
significant Art Deco interior was submitted
almost a year ago. However, the application
sits yet undetermined whilst the future of
a vital and vibrant theatre building looks
increasingly uncertain.
The future of Dudley Hippodrome also
still remains uncertain. The Council has
extended the timescale for interested parties
to come forward with viable proposals for the
Hippodrome. However, complexities relating
to daytime operation of this building – a
vital part of any viable business plan – and
the operation of the nearby Dudley Zoo,
mean that it looks more and more likely
that the Council’s previous application for
the demolition of the Hippodrome will be
resubmitted.
The fate of Scarborough’s Futurist
Theatre also hangs in the balance. The
Local Planning Authority has determined that
the demolition of the building is ‘permitted
Morecambe Winter Gardens
Photo: Stephen McGahon
development’ (i.e. exempt from the need for
planning permission), and subject only to the
completion of a Prior Approval. The demolition
of this 1920s building, which is located on
a site that has been used for entertainment
since 1903 when Kiralfy’s Arcadia Theatre
first opened, therefore awaits approval of
methodology as to the restoration of the site
immediately after the building’s demolition.
Meanwhile, an appeal against the decision not
to list the building has yet to be answered.
Followers of the Trust’s Theatre Building at
Risk Register will be aware that many of the
theatres featured, such as the Futurist, are
located along our coasts, where their decline
has been a direct result of the fewer
numbers spending their summer holidays
by the sea. The number of coastal buildings
on the TBAR is clearly illustrated on the
map on page 6.
At Morecambe Winter Gardens
restoration work slowly continues. This unique
Grade II* listed building was built in 1897
to the designs of Mangnall & Littlewood,
with Frank Matcham as consultant. It is
prominently sited on the seafront - a landmark
building at the very heart of Morecambe.
Here, Historic England, the Princes
Regeneration Trust and The Theatres Trust
are all working with the Morecambe Winter
Gardens Preservation Trust Limited to help
restore this building and to keep it open and
in continued use - a major factor in the urban
renewal of the area.
In Blackpool the Council has been
instrumental in developing plans for the
regeneration of the Winter Gardens. HLF
Stage 1 funding supported by a contribution
from the Council is being used to develop a
feasibility study to restore this building and
turn it into a museum. The Blackpool Museum
at the Pavilion will tell the history of the town
and is to be a flagship visitor attraction and
a catalyst for increased investment. We look
forward to seeing the development progress
and will continue to work with the Council’s
Built Heritage and Conservation Manager.
Blackpool Borough Council has also been
active in its work with the North Pier. It is
currently carrying out a structural survey
to assess the impact of storm damage. It
continues to engage with the owner of
North Pier Theatre, one of only five
operating pier theatres in the country. Whilst it
is acknowledged that much work is required
to the theatre, the will of the Council and
its commitment to discussions with the
owner to ensure the building’s future is
to be commended.
Plymouth’s Palace Theatre has been
empty since 2006 and significant investment
is required to make both the theatre and
the hotel next door safe and to stabilise the
condition of the building. The building has
recently been taken over by a charity GO!
(Greater Opportunities) Together which plans
to repair the building in one of the biggest
volunteer-led projects in the UK. Historic
England, Plymouth City Council, and The
Theatres Trust are working closely with
the charity on its plans for restoration and
future use.
Many of the Welsh theatres in coastal
communities in Wales are less fortunate. In
Colwyn the future of the Pier Pavilion is still
uncertain. The building has stood disused
since 2008 when the pier closed, and now
has the shadow of demolition at its door with
Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC)
recently approving plans to remove the
Pavilion and other structures on the pier. This
all comes despite efforts to save the Pavilion
by the local Colwyn Victoria Pier Trust which
submitted an application for grant funding for
a new health and education hub which was
unfortunately turned down earlier in the year.
Theatres Magazine AUTUMN 2015 3
Spilsby Theatre
Hulme Hippodrome
Hyde Theatre Royal
Photo: Ian Grundy
This was cited due to lack of CCBC support,
the absence of other confirmed financial
support, competition from other projects and
the potential for increased costs. However
there may still be hope. The Theatres Trust
has recently learnt that HLF is encouraging a
resubmission of the application for November
2015. Work has now commenced to review
and improve the original bid and to explore a
basis for positive partnership with CCBC and
seek further match funding from alternative
sources, both public and private.
The Llandudno Grand is now under new
ownership and we’re pleased to hear that
repair works have already started. This Grade
II* Sleeping Beauty with its fine, intimate
and richly decorated auditorium with lavish
plasterwork, is eventually to be restored
and we’re working with Llandudno Seaside
Buildings Preservation Trust, and new owner
MBi Hotels, to advise on plans.
Staying in Wales, Conwy Civic Hall, Muni
Arts Centre and the Palace in Swansea all
remain on the Register and we are supporting
the groups leading their campaigns.
A further look at the map highlights
another theatre grouping – those in the
North West. Blackpool Winter Gardens and
North Pier and Tameside Hippodrome have
already been mentioned; include the Victoria
Theatre in Salford, Hulme Hippodrome
and Playhouse, the Theatre Royal in Hyde,
Workington Opera House, Burnley
Empire, Manchester’s Theatre Royal and
Liverpool’s Garston Empire, and there
is a vast amount of work to be done in this
geographical area.
For the Grade II Victoria Theatre in Salford
the situation remains very similar to that
reported last year and the theatre remains
within the top three of the Register. Built in
1899 and designed by Bertie Crewe this is a
unique and architecturally important theatre.
The theatre remains on the market but
unaffordable for the Save the Victoria Theatre
Trust (SVTT) which would like to purchase,
refurbish and reopen the building.
In Hyde, the building preservation trust,
Theatre Royal Onward (TRO), continues to
campaign for the purchase, restoration and
reopening of the Grade II listed Theatre
Royal. The building closed as a cinema in
1992 and was threatened with demolition
for a housing development, but was saved
by spot-listing in 2000. The owner has
now offered the theatre to the Theatre
Royal Onward Trust at a purchase price
of £250,000.
In Hulme, there is some good news
regarding the Hippodrome, where the
Council has imposed a Section 215 notice
to improve ‘disamenity’. Unfortunately for the
adjacent Playhouse, the Hippodrome’s roof
continues to be a problem and is causing
damp in the party wall between the two
buildings – the fate of one building dependent
on the condition of the other.
The words Hippodrome and Theatres at
Risk have been linked for many years. The
Grade II Derby Hippodrome still has the
potential to be rebuilt and restored to theatre
use, and could provide Derby with an elegant
1,000-seat touring theatre. In light of the
closure of the Derby Assembly Rooms due
to a fire last year and now recent news of its
potential demolition, we recognise there is a
real loss of cultural provision in the City. On a
strategic level a city the size of Derby should
have a major touring theatre and this could
offer some hope for the Hippodrome.
Another grouping within the TBAR Register
is that of theatres at risk due to the pressure
of redevelopment. In the case of Doncaster,
The Theatres Trust opposed the application
by owners of the Grand, Frenchgate Limited
Partnership, for works to create a multiplex
cinema and further retail units adjacent to
the building and proposed that a Section 106
planning obligation be imposed to secure a
strategy for conservation and re-use of the
theatre. Unfortunately, an application by the
Friends of Doncaster Grand to list the theatre
as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ was turned
down in early 2015, but we continue to work
with Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
and the Friends of the Doncaster Grand
Theatre to establish access and use of
the theatre.
On the TBAR Register for a second year
running is the Century Theatre, on the site
of Snibston Discovery Museum which closed
in July 2015 due to local council budgetary
cuts. The Century Theatre thankfully has
a future for at least another year and is
currently programmed, however the Council
has plans for the redevelopment of the
museum which would see the site used for
housing. We’ll be liaising with the Council to
ensure the development does not negatively
impact the theatre. We are working with the
theatre owners and interested parties to
lodge an application to statutory designate
(‘list’) this unique venue.
4 AUTUMN 2015 Theatres Magazine
Granada,
Walthamstow
The Grade II* Swindon Mechanics’
Institute remains unused and in very poor
condition. Passed over as a potential venue
for an art gallery, the Mechanics’ Institution
Trust, campaigning to save the building,
would like to see it become a community
and cultural hub and are working alongside
Forward Swindon and the Council on a new
options appraisal for the site.
At Southborough, the Royal Victoria Hall
is now closed, and its future is uncertain.
There are plans to redevelop the area and
provide a multi-use community hub as part
of the development. However, it is currently
not clear whether the Royal Victoria Hall will
be retained as part of the scheme, although
earlier community consultation was in favour
of this. We are supporting the Friends Group
in its campaign to retain the Royal Victoria
Hall or to ensure that any replacement facility
is suitable for theatre use.
There are two additions to the Register
this year. Firstly, the Granada, Walthamstow,
where a strong community campaign led
by Waltham Forest Cinema Trust and Soho
Theatre resulted in support from all sectors
of the local community as well as support
from councillors and local MPs to re-open this
Grade II* listed cine-variety theatre. With the
London Borough of Waltham Forest about
to attempt a negotiated purchase, the then
owners, the United Kingdom of God, sold
the building in November 2014 to the Antic
Pub Group. The Council has subsequently
been brokering discussions between the new
owners and Soho Theatre with the aspiration
of a shared use of the theatre. The concern
is that if the auditorium is not brought back
into use, then there is a strong risk that the
auditorium and stage areas will deteriorate
still further and the venue will be permanently
lost to live performance use.
The second addition to the 2015 list is
Spilsby Theatre in Lincolnshire. This Grade
II listed building which was established from
the former Sessions House and gaol, has
an impressive facade with a Greek Doric
tetrastyle portico. The theatre’s owner, the
Dandelion Trust, has struggled to cope with
the costs of maintaining and renovating
the historic building and has taken the hard
The Secombe and The Cryer under one
umbrella as Sutton Theatres.
Finally, before moving onto the latest news
from our headline story of last year, we are
pleased to once again announce a notable
absence of Scottish Theatres on the Register.
And so to Brighton and the Grade II*
Hippodrome. In July 2014 a scheme to
decision to wind down the charity. Lincolnshire redevelop this unique circus theatre into
Community Foundation (LCF), a grant making a multiplex cinema received planning
permission, despite opposition from The
trust which brings forward and actively
develops public realm works with communities Theatres Trust. However, in January 2015,
Vue Cinemas withdrew from the scheme,
across the county, raising funds and carrying
out supporting infrastructure work and is now and it was announced in April 2015 that
working together with a local volunteer group Live Nation/AMG (the previous leaseholder)
to develop a rescue plan for the building. The had purchased the freehold. Aware of local
and national pressure over the future of the
theatre auditorium is currently closed, with
Hippodrome, AMG announced that it was
the roof unsafe and the ceiling in danger of
prepared to offer stakeholders a period of six
collapse, however events continue in other
months to find a way forward for the theatre.
parts of the building.
A Stakeholders Group has since been
This year four theatres have been removed
set up, comprising local campaign group
from the TBAR, one (the Curzon Cinema /
Our Brighton Hippodrome (which had
Redstack Playhouse in Bexhill-on-Sea)
previously been working on a viability study
was unfortunately lost when it was sold to
and business plan to reopen the Hippodrome
Weatherspoons pub chain, however the
as a performance venue), Historic England,
other three now have their futures as
The Frank Matcham Society, Brighton and
theatres secured.
Hove City Council and The Theatres Trust.
The Spa Pavilion in Felixstowe is one of
The group has been working closely with
the success stories. The doors of the Pavilion
Live Nation/AMG, and has commissioned a
closed on 6 January 2013 when its owner,
Viability Study from Colliers International to
Suffolk Coastal District Council was no
assess the future of the Hippodrome. This
longer prepared to subsidise running costs.
is due to conclude at the end of September,
However earlier this year NRG Theatres, a
following which the Stakeholders Group will
group that specifically formed to re-open
need to agree a way forward.
the Spa, purchased the theatre. The group
So many of the theatres on the Trust’s
is undertaking an initial refurbishment of the
TBAR Register are there because of their
theatre and plans to re-open in autumn 2015,
with further refurbishment taking place in 2016. significance within their communities.
Recognising the cultural and community value
The other two success stories are the
of theatres drives campaigners and activists
Charles Cryer Studio Theatre and
to commit their energy and passion towards
workshop and the Secombe Theatre in
finding solutions. We all appreciate the
Sutton. Last year it was announced that both
vital contribution theatres also make to the
theatres were under threat of closure by the
regeneration and long term growth of areas.
London Borough of Sutton. On 15 January
The Theatres Trust, by continuing to work
2015, and after support from the Trust to
both the London Borough of Sutton and local and campaign on behalf of theatres both on
the TBAR Register and across the country,
community theatre groups, it was announced
is looking to ensure a sustainable future for
that Sutton Theatres Trust would take over
both our theatre buildings and ensure they
the management of both theatres. Sutton
continue to be accessible to the communities
Theatres Trust officially took over the venues
they serve.
on 15 June 2015 and renamed the venues
THEATRE BUILDINGS
AT RISK REGISTER 2015
LOCATION MAP
Victoria
Theatre
Tameside
Hippodrome
Theatre
Royal
3
7
23
25 4
Hulme
Playhouse
11
Hulme
Hippodrome
Theatre
Royal
Hyde
MANCHESTER
SCOTLAND
NEWCASTLE
24
Opera House
13
8
Victoria Pavilion/
Winter Gardens
Futurist
LEEDS
22
17 18
Winter
Gardens
Pavilion
Grand
Llandudno
North Pier
Theatre
LIVERPOOL
27
31
30
Pier
Pavilion
Conwy
Civic Hall
(Cube)
Odeon/New Victoria
Burnley Empire Theatre
3
Garston
Empire
19
7
23
26
20
Grand
25 4
11
16
MANCHESTER
12
Spilsby
Theatre
Derby
Hippodrome
9
NORWICH
Century
Theatre
6
BIRMINGHAM
Dudley
Hippodrome
WALES
28
Swansea
Palace
Alexandra
Palace
21
Theatre
29
Muni Arts
Centre
10
BRISTOL
LONDON
15
Granada
Theatre
5
Mechanics
Coronet
14
1
PORTSMOUTH
2
Plymouth
Palace
Brighton
Hippodrome
Royal Victoria Hall
Theatre
Buildings
at Risk
Register
2015
The Theatre Buildings at Risk Register covers England,
Scotland and Wales and includes all types of theatre
building, whether statutory listed, in a Conservation
Area, listed as Assets of Community Value, or not listed.
Buildings may be currently in theatre use, in other
(permanent or temporary) uses, vacant or derelict.
There are 31 theatres on the Theatre
Buildings at Risk Register 2015.
Twenty-six are in England and five in
Wales. There are no theatres on the
Register in Scotland. There are two new
additions (both in England). This year
we have removed four theatres: three
are good news stories, one is lost.
There is also some reallocation of risk
for some theatres; unfortunately three have
had their risk rating increased (two due to
threat of redevelopment and one due to an
increased community rating) but two have
had their rating reduced, one due to works
due to commence soon. We hope that these
latter theatres will be able to be removed from
future Theatre Buildings at Risk Registers.
• Poor quality of building operation
threatening the continuing or future
theatre use of the building
• High cost of maintenance or refurbishment
works
Risks to the building
Theatres are assessed and given a ‘Building
Risk rating’ of 0 to 3 depending on the
number of low, medium, or high levels
of risk identified against certain risk criteria.
2 points are given to a fine theatre which
is an excellent example of its type
These are:
• Demolition
• Alteration to another use – particularly
where this involves a change of Use Class
•L
ocal development adversely affecting
access to the theatre or restricting future
expansion/improvements
• Threat through sale or change of ownership
•T
hreat to the building fabric, eg, decay
of a building not in use or the removal of
significant features
•T
hreat to the theatre fabric, ie, irreversible
works which may prevent a return to theatre
use, or damage to (or removal of) specifically
theatrical materials
•D
ifficulties in obtaining capital or revenue
funding
0 points are applied to a building which is
of lesser interest, half complete, irretrievably
altered, or a complete but unremarkable
theatre
Quality of the theatre
A further ‘Star Theatre rating’ of 0 to 3 is
also applied which makes a qualitative
judgment on the importance of the theatrical
qualities of a theatre. These include its
architectural quality, workability as a theatre,
historical features, and geographical
uniqueness.
3 points are awarded where it is a very fine
theatre, of the highest theatrical quality
1 point is given to a theatre which is of
some interest or quality
2 points are given to a theatre where, without
it there would be no community theatre or
reuse as local cultural/community facility
1 point is awarded to a building where there is
potential for its future as a community theatre
0 points are applied to a building which would
have a future in uses other than as a theatre.
List order
The TBAR Register 2015 adds together the
Risk, Star and Community Ratings to give the
total ‘Risk Value’. The maximum a theatre can
receive is 9. Any theatre that scores less than
4 is not included on the Register.
The buildings appear on the list in total risk
value order, with those with the highest level
of perceived risk topping the register.
Where the total risk rating is the same for
several building the theatres with the highest
value for risk to the building are placed top
of the grouping, followed by those with the
highest star rating and finally those with
the highest community rating. Those at risk
of demolition are placed above those more
secure. Finally, if buildings score equally on
all of the above, they are listed alphabetically.
Community value
Last year, in light of the growing importance
of the role of theatres in their community
we added a ‘Community Theatre rating’.
The aim of this rating is to establish
community demand for the retention and
protection of the theatre – as a theatre. We
have continued to use this rating this year.
3 points are awarded where there is clear
community demand for its use as a theatre
Key
✪
✪
Asset of community value (ACV)
Theatre
Town
Grade
New addition 2015
Asset of Risk
New in
Community Value 2015
Value
England (26)
1
Brighton Hippodrome Brighton
II*
—
9—
2
lymouth Palace (currently
P
known as Academy Theatre
& Great Western Hotel) Plymouth
II*
—
9—
3
Victoria Theatre
Salford
II
—
9
4
Hulme Hippodrome
Manchester
II
—
8—
5
Coronet
London – Southwark
Not listed
—
8
—
6
Dudley Hippodrome
Dudley
Not listed
—
8
—
7
Tameside Hippodrome
Ashton-under-LyneII
—
8
—
8
Victoria Pavilion/Winter GardensMorecambe
II*
—
8
—
9
Century Theatre
—
—
Coalville
Not listed
—
7
10 Mechanics
Swindon
II*
—
7—
11 Theatre Royal
Hyde
II
—
12 Derby Hippodrome
DerbyII
✪
7—
13 Futurist
Scarborough
Not listed
—
7
—
14 Royal Victoria Hall
Southborough
Not listed
—
7
—
15 Granada Theatre
London – Walthamstow
II*
—
7
✪
16 Spilsby Theatre
Spilsby II —7
✪
7
—
17 Winter Gardens PavilionBlackpool
II*
—
6—
18 North Pier Theatre
Blackpool
II
—
6—
19 Grand
Doncaster
II
—
6—
20 Odeon/New Victoria
Bradford
Not listed
—
6
—
21 Alexandra Palace Theatre
London – Haringey
—
II
—
6
22 Burnley Empire TheatreBurnley
II
—
5—
23 Theatre Royal
Manchester
II
—
5—
24 Opera House
Workington
Not listed
—
5
25 Hulme Playhouse
Manchester
II
—
5—
26 Garston Empire
Liverpool
Not listed
—
4
27 Grand
Llandudno
II*
—
7—
28 Swansea Palace
Swansea
II
—
7—
29 Muni Arts Centre
Pontypridd
II
—
7—
30 Pier Pavilion
Colwyn Bay
II
—
6
—
31 Conwy Civic Hall (Cube)
Conwy
Not listed
—
6
—
Not listed
✪—
—
—
Wales (5)
Removed – lost theatres (1)
Curzon Cinema/Redstack Playhouse Bexhill-on-Sea
Removed – future secured (3)
Charles Cryer Studio Theatre
and workshop
London – Sutton
Not listed —
—
Secombe Theatre
London – Sutton
Not listed —
—
Spa Pavilion
Felixstowe
Not listed
—
—
Resource Centre
rooms to hire in
the heart of
London’s West End
Contact us on:
020 7836 8591
The Theatres Trust
22 Charing Cross Road
London WC2H 0QL
info@theatrestrust.org.uk
www.theatrestrust.org.uk
Registered Charity No: 274697
Spotting a torn support lath
where the hessian was decayed.
FIS, which represents companies in the Finishes and
Interiors sector has been working hard to develop
a series of forms to help customers assess the
competency of fibrous plaster inspectors and contractors
following new guidance published by the Association
of British Theatre Technicians. Chris Wheal and FIS
Technical Manager Joe Cilia, report here.
Finding any trade person who is
competent to carry out specialist work
can be challenging enough, but to find
someone with the specialist skills to
inspect and report on the condition of
fibrous plaster that can be over 100 years’
old is even more daunting, especially
when the plaster is in a public space such
as a theatre. This was the challenge that
(ABTT) and The Theatres Trust set FIS
in early 2015.
Following the collapse of the Apollo Theatre
ceiling on the 19 December 2013 there were
calls for a new, tougher regime to change
the emphasis from checking that the ceiling
was unsafe to confirming that it was safe.
A working group came together led by the
(ABTT) which also included the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE), English Heritage,
The Theatres Trust, the Society of London
Theatres, heritage plastering experts from
FIS, David Harrison of Hayles & Howe,
Jon Riley of Locker and Riley, and structural
engineers.
Their report, published at the end of May
2015, imposes a new regime on theatre
owners. The top of suspended ceilings –
often filthy and in semi-dark – must now be
cleaned and visible. In addition, plastering firms
and structural engineers were told to cease
putting caveats and limits to their liability in
their reports.
The FIS was asked to provide a
methodology for selecting appropriate
inspection firms that had the necessary
experience. The trade association was also
charged with ensuring theatres received
standardised reports.
“It is about experience,” says FIS Technical
Manager, Joe Cilia. “These guys have been
doing this for years but there is no formal
qualification, so the only way they can
demonstrate that they can do it is to say:
‘Here’s an example and I have been working
in this field and here are some references
you can follow up’. That was the most robust
way that we found to do it.”
There is talk of a possible new NVQ in
fibrous plastering or a heritage skills NVQ, but
as David Harrison from Hayles & Howe says
this would only indicate that someone had
the skills but not necessarily the experience.
Cilia says he was agog at what needed
to be included in the new theatre reports.
“The learning process I went through was
a real eye-opener. These buildings were put
up between about 1850 and 1915 and the
construction methods were different then
and relied on the fibrous plaster being held
in place by wadding fitting round beams. It is
that wadding that is starting to deteriorate,”
he says. It is now estimated that wads have
a lifespan of just 90 years.
“Add to that that these theatres were never
designed for the sound systems that are being
put in them now,” adds Cilia. “You have these
really powerful sound waves coursing
through it and these can cause cracks.
“With the general age of the theatre, if
you get a bit of water in a crack that can also
have a dramatic impact. What we had to do
was say: ‘What do you need to look at and
how do you go about looking at it?’.”
There has to be a plan of the building with
a grid so that any crack or defect can be
pinpointed. The route taken during the
inspection was important too. “We needed
to agree how people would walk around a
building. They might walk past something that
is a hatch to get to a void above a dome and
once they’ve opened up that hatch, how are
they going to get into that void and is it safe?”
says Cilia.
“It was important they had information
about what had gone on in the past. Had
there been a collapse? What had collapsed
and what was repaired? How was it repaired?
If it was just a crack, where was the crack,
when was it noticed and how was it repaired?
They need to know this so they can monitor
things.”
And there were safety concerns beyond the
structural worries. “We’ve all heard of asbestos
surveys, but what I hadn’t heard of before was
a lead survey. This was about lead in the paint.
If you have to scrape away lead paint there
is a risk to the person doing it, so having that
lead survey report was important,” says Cilia.
A torn, broken wad fixing without wire.
Photos: Jon Riley
“The inspection form and
report form ensure that
a consistent approach to
inspection is adopted across
the sector”
The final report needs to be uniform
and authoritative. “We needed to ensure
reports identified what appeared to be safe
at that time and what clearly needed to be
addressed, with a scaling system so that
anybody could pick up any of these reports
and know where to find the information
and know what it means.
“We needed common words to be used –
is it a cornice or a fancy balustrade? We
need the same words used by everyone
so we have pointed them towards a directory
that contains that vocabulary.”
FIS, which represents the finishes and
interior sector, has a number of special interest
groups representing niche markets within
its membership. FIS, alongside its Heritage
Plastering Group, worked with the ABTT and
The Theatres Trust to produce a series of
forms that theatre owners could use to assess
the competency of companies and individuals
who could carry out surveys, inspect plaster,
produce reports and carry out any necessary
remedial work and repairs.
Jon Riley Chair of the FIS Heritage Plastering
Group says “The catastrophic consequences
associated with a failure of a ceiling falling from
height places any plaster inspector into an
enormous level of responsibility when issuing a
ceiling certificate. The ABTT recently released
Guidance Note 20 (May 2015) which requires
a competent plaster inspector to confirm,
without caveat, whether a 100+ year old
ceiling is safe or not. To offer an opinion, the
skill set for this competency falls far from
that of solely a skilled craftsman. It not only
requires an in depth knowledge of the trade,
it furthermore requires experienced knowledge
of potential tell-tale signs of threats and
risks of future failure. To facilitate the ABTT’s
guidance, an increased network of competent
assessors is required to meet the future
needs of the theatre owners and other listed
building owners.”
New forms produced by the FIS
The first of the forms is used to assess the
competency of a company and the individuals
within that company to carry out inspections.
The form asks for examples of the company’s
experience and copies of recent (anonymised)
reports it has produced. It also requires the
company to demonstrate how health and
safety is addressed and its knowledge
of the technical standards for places of
entertainment.
Three forms address the inspection itself;
a pre-inspection form, an inspection form
and a standard report structure form. The
pre-inspection form ensures that information
required prior to an inspection, such as
asbestos reports and marked up layout
drawings and reflective ceiling plans are
requested in good time. The pre-inspection will
identify an agreed route through the building
and consider how to safely access any voids
behind the plaster; especially confined spaces.
The inspection form and report form ensure
that a consistent approach to inspection is
adopted across the sector and that reports
are written using consistent language and
terminology to describe such things as cracks
and hessian.
The final form deals with the competency
of the contractor and the operatives who
will carry out the work and in particular their
approach to health and safety and their
experience of working on similar sites.
The HSE will require buildings with
suspended fibrous plaster ceilings to have
carried out an inspection under the new
regime by September 2016.
Not every theatre in the UK has a
suspended fibrous plaster ceiling, but then
not every theatre even knows whether it
does or not.
There are perhaps just half a dozen firms
in the UK that can do this work and it certainly
looks like being a busy few years for them.
The FIS forms and list of members of
the FIS Heritage Plastering Group are
available by emailing Robert Barker at FIS.
robertbarker@thefis.org
G R E AT
S U P P O RT
LO U D S P E A KE R S R E D E F I N E D
Building Better Theatres
Workshop programme
2015-2016
Planning a capital project?
Need to be up to speed on relevant government
and legislative changes?
Want to improve your capacity to care for your theatre building?
16 September: Fundraising for a Capital Project
30 September: Theatres and Heritage
21 October: Planning Policy and Theatres
18 November: Planning a Capital Project
21 January: Delivering a Capital Project
18 February: Theatre Maintenance
Further details, including content, speakers and
booking information theatrestrust.org.uk/events/workshops-15-16
or email advice@theatrestrust.org.uk
The Interventionists
rehearse in the Reuben
Foundation Wing foyer
Lyric
Hammersmith
The first major facelift to the Lyric Hammersmith
in 35 years has recently been completed by Rick
Mather Architects.
A west London institution since 1895,
the Lyric has occupied its current home
on King Street since 1979, repurposing
the original Frank Matcham neo-baroque
auditorium inside a new brutalist shell.
The new theatre was designed bythe
Hammersmith & Fulham Borough
Architect and the firm Jackson’s, removed
and reinstated the plasterwork from the
former Lyric Theatre demolished in 1969.
The Lyric building has undergone several
additions and renovations in its recent history,
including a new entrance building on Lyric
Square designed by Rick Mather Architects
(RMA) in 2004. The recently completed
£20m project has been the largest and
most ambitious at the Lyric to date, and has
transformed the institution into a teachingbased, community orientated theatre hub,
expanding the Lyric’s groundbreaking
programme for young people, designed to
introduce a larger swathe of west London
to the art of theatre. The largest element
of the capital project is the new two-storey
Reuben Foundation Wing built directly
adjacent to the existing theatre, though work
also included the first major facelift to the
existing building in 35 years.
The project, which completes a five-phase
masterplan first drawn up by the practice
in 1998, has created London’s first fully
integrated producing and teaching theatre.
The new-build extension contains four
large spaces for theatre, film and dance as
well as smaller facilities such as a recording
suite, music practice rooms, a sensory
space, workshop, wardrobe and offices.
The Lyric reopened with a bang on
28 April 2015 with a star-studded reception
and performance of The Interventionists,
an original show taking place throughout the
Reuben Foundation Wing and showcasing
the new building to the Lyric’s guests.
This was followed by a performance of
Bugsy Malone, the Lyric’s highly successful
and critically acclaimed revival of the Alan
Parker classic.
The redeveloped Lyric was an important
part of London Borough of Hammersmith
and Fulham’s programmes for young people
and regeneration. The decision was taken
to redevelop the existing theatre due to
the fact that the Lyric has long offered a
strong educational programme for young
people and the crux of the new development
has always been increased teaching
and learning space. Though the previous
extension to the theatre in 2004 provided
vital rehearsal and collaborative learning
studio space, these were quickly outgrown.
In addition the Lyric held a desire to improve
its public presence, hindered by a dated
bar and restaurant as well as tired foyers
and public spaces. Back of house spaces
also suffered from a lack of investment
remaining virtually unchanged since 1979,
presenting significant logistical problems
and hindering use by performers of all
ages and abilities.
The new extension sits above the
Kings Mall shopping centre and
ties directly into the existing theatre
building and the new rehearsal room.
Photos: Jim Stephenson
The vision for the capital development
was to transform the Lyric into a new kind of
cultural and educational building, to marry the
Lyric’s reputation as one of the UK’s most
exciting and acclaimed producing theatres
with its track-record for supporting and
training young people. Modelled as the first
‘teaching theatre’ for the performing arts, the
new facilities would aim to provide a unique
learning environment for young people at the
heart of a professional theatre in which artists
and teachers could collaborate to inspire
young people to become the artists.
Architecturally the building strives to create
a series of grown-up spaces that instil a
sense of pride and ownership in the young
people who use them on a daily basis.
of finishes and materials. RMA had the
additional challenge of bringing natural light
into a building with such a wide footprint,
whilstLYRIC
also protecting
residents and office
HAMMERSMITH
workers in nearby buildings from being
overlooked.
As with many arts projects the Lyric
also had a significant task to pull together
funding though support from a variety of
public and private sector donors who made
the project possible.
“The new facilities would
aim to provide a unique
learning environment for
young people at the heart
of a professional theatre.”
The only site available for a new extension
was on top of the existing King’s Mall
shopping centre and directly east of the
existing theatre. This presented a number
of design challenges. Most importantly
RMA had to work within the confines of
the existing structural grid of the shopping
centre below, designing not only offices
and smaller practice rooms but also large,
double-height studio spaces. In addition
the new extension needed to tie into the
existing Lyric theatre’s building as seamlessly
as possible, creating an effective connection
both physically through the use of stairs,
ramps and new breakthrough points, and
spatially through a complementary palate
Site Plan
Site plan: Rick Mather Architects
Photo: Aedas Arts Team
approx s1/1500 @ A4
Despite a number of challenges, most
arising from constructing a new building
on top of an existing, occupied, shopping
N
centre (in a tight urban location), the Lyric
has reopened with a significantly improved
existing
and
exceptional new
RICKbuilding
MATHER
ARCHITECTS
extension.
Consulting with local groups
RMA worked with the client to develop and
implement a tailored, exemplary and inclusive
consultation plan with a particular focus on
local groups. The plan became a live matrix
in which the Lyric’s diverse community was
identified and listed, consultation methods
Newly refurbished restaurant and
roof terrace and refurbished existing
building at dusk showing lit artwork
by David Batchelor ’19-20-21’.
Photos: Jim Stephenson
appropriate to each group were allocated,
and records of actions and dates were set
out. Sixty-one separate bodies and groups
were consulted which fell within the following
groupings: young people – including the Lyric
Young Company; students in the Borough
and wider west London; disabled young
people and young people with mental health
diagnosis; wider community – including
residents and tenants associations; local
businesses; community groups; Lyric Friends;
and audiences and current users of the
building. This process had a meaningful
impact on the designs, such as the breadth
of uses that the spaces should allow for, and
the inclusion of staff offices to enable greater
interaction between staff, students and
visitors. It also served to develop stakeholder
relationships and a sense of ownership
at the same time.
As the design developed RMA worked
closely with the Lyric artistic staff, theatre
consultants Charcoalblue, and specialist
industry advisors to progress the design of
the many highly technical spaces.
Much of the design for the new extension
resulted from the specific needs of the user
groups and the wider community. The Lyric
was influenced more by visits to other arts
venues rather than theatres. This cemented
the Lyric’s desire for technically specific
spaces: a film studio with a green screen, a
cinema with proper cinema seats, a dance
studio with a sprung floor, and not a raft of
general purpose and flexible spaces.
The ambition for the Lyric extension was
to create professional quality spaces for
use both by, and with, young people. This
meant extensive collaboration with theatre
design specialists Charcoalblue but also the
Lyric’s technical team and young people’s
programme directors. This informed the use
of high quality technical equipment but also
in the specification of programme-specific
finishes: a sprung oak floor in the dance
studio, sacrificial ply walls and floors in the
theatre studio, black floor and ply walls in
the film and TV studio. Charcoalblue also
advised on the design of the cinema seating
and acoustic treatment as well as technical
requirements for the recording studio and
digital playspace. Designs and specifications
were reviewed at every stage by the Lyric
to ensure they met the high standards they
expected for the project.
Rationalising and re-orientating
Somewhat unique for a theatre, the Lyric’s
extension and refurbishment produced no
new official performance spaces, instead it
utilised the new extension to rationalise and
re-orientate existing back of house facilities.
The existing 559-seat main auditorium,
graced with the reconfigured 1890s Frank
Matcham auditorium, was one of the few
parts of the existing building to remain
untouched during the refurbishment. It does,
however, benefit from a new workshop with
level access directly onto the stage; a first
for the Lyric that allows in-house production
of large and complicated sets. The existing
114-seat studio theatre also remained
untouched but benefited from reconfigured
and remodelled back of house facilities.
Elsewhere in the existing building RMA
extensively remodelled the bar and foyer
spaces, removed old offices, rationalised
services, and upgraded fixtures and finishes.
In the Reuben Foundation Wing RMA
created three flexible rehearsal studios
primarily for theatre, film and dance; a
state-of-the-art recording suite with
separate studios for music, radio and TV
and film editing; music practice rooms;
a fully-functioning 50-seat cinema; a digital
learning suite; a workshop; meeting and
seminar rooms; and staff offices and
student social spaces.
The challenge in designing the Reuben
Foundation Wing was creating a series of
technically specific spaces with a unique
character that could also be used flexibly by
the Lyric and its partners. The dance studio,
with a sprung oak floor, a full wall of mirrors
and a stunning ocular roof light was designed
for dance rehearsals but can also be used
for band practices, workshops and show
rehearsals. The film and TV studio, a black
box space with adjustable lighting tracks
and sacrificial plywood walls makes
an equally effective rehearsal space. The
theatre studio has the same dimensions as
the main stage and an adjustable lighting
grid (also with sacrificial walls and floors). It
therefore makes a perfect rehearsal location
for main stage productions. The theatre
studio also has a series of dramatic high-level
roof lights, as well as exceptional acoustic
attenuation, which allows it to be used for
meetings, seminars, events, and any number
of other purposes.
Some spaces in the new building are
more programme specific, such as the new
cinema and music practice rooms. These
facilities have enabled the Lyric to establish
relationships with a number of outside
partners, an innovative arrangement that
has laid the framework for the institution’s
long-term success. This is largely due to the
quality of these technical spaces, developed
in partnership with organisations as varied
as Musiko Musika, The Tri-Borough Music
Hub, Youth Music Theatre UK, Amici Dance
Theatre Company, Dance West, New English
Ballet Theatre, ZooNation Academy of Dance,
and Hammersmith and Fulham Action on
Disability.
The Interventionists prepare for the building
opening in the new rehearsal room.
Project Team
Client:
Lyric Hammersmith
Architect:
Rick Mather Architects
Structural Engineer:
Pell Frischmann
M&E / Sustainability:
Mott MacDonald
BREEAM Consultant:
Rickaby Thompson
Project Manager/Cost:
EC Harris
Contractor:
Mace Plus
Acoustic Consultant:
Sandy Brown Associates
Fire Consultant:
FISEC
Theatre Consultant:
Charcoalblue
Access Consultant:
David Bonnet Associates
Sustainability and accessibility
Sustainability has long been a priority for
the Lyric and the design and construction
of the new extension has utilised the latest
techniques and technologies to achieve
the highest quality building possible, with
successful achievements in energy efficiency
and sustainability. A high performance
building skin ensures excellent thermal
performance, and ultra-efficient cooling
systems minimise energy usage. Where
possible RMA incorporated natural ventilation,
utilising the stack effect in the central foyer
to cool the offices and public spaces. In
conjunction with the Lyric, materials were
carefully selected for their environmental
impact. Lighting is exclusively LED, both
in the new build and in the refurbishment.
Along with a thermal upgrade of the
existing building which included a new roof,
a new insulated render façade, and new
windows, the Lyric will not only be one of
the greenest theatres in London but also
more cost effective to run long-term. The
Lyric is immensely proud of its new building
and worked tirelessly toward an anticipated
BREEAM excellent award for both the new
building and the refurbishment.
Accessibility has also been a central tenet
for the redevelopment of the Lyric, providing
physical accessibility for all ages and abilities
and openness to the larger community.
Consultation and collaboration have been
key to both, undertaking early workshops with
access consultant David Bonnett Associates
and Hammersmith and Fulham Action
on Disability to inform a comprehensive
approach to accessible design. Early
engagement with the wider community has
also ensured strong community support for
the new Lyric as the refurbishment has made
it a better public place.
An equally important outcome has been
the breadth and quality of new spaces, and
their seamless integration with the existing
building. The new spaces not only enhance
the Lyric’s existing creative programme but
also ensure a future revenue stream through
their exploitation.
Lastly, the new facility represents the
continued blurring between the traditional
and digital art forms with the integration of
a film and TV studio, editing suite and digital
playspace along with more traditional dance
and rehearsal spaces. This ensures the
Lyric’s viability in a rapidly changing industry.
As there is, and always will be, a challenging
environment for arts funding, the Lyric capital
project has also therefore given the theatre
new opportunities to exploit future funding.
The artistic team has enthusiastically
embraced the functionality of the new
building; notably the new workshop with level
access to both the stage and new rehearsal
room but also the variety of spaces now
used for teaching and rehearsal. Visitors
to the new building comment on the sheer
size of the extension along with the breadth
and quality of the new space.
Overall the project is a triumph of vision
and determination, creating a new cultural
building for a new generation. The capital
project has enabled the Lyric to widen the
breadth of its work with new opportunities
and potential for growth afforded by new
spaces. It significantly secures the long-term
life of the Lyric.
Theatres
Protection Fund
Small Grants
Scheme
Another project almost complete is Round
Five’s Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells,
which received a Small Grant towards much
needed repair to the sandstone walls of its
(former church) building. The award also
helped leverage match funding for the project.
Though stone repair is still ongoing to the
back wall of the theatre it is hoped works will
be complete by mid-September 2015.
September will also see Theatre Royal
Stratford East reopen after the restoration
of its safety curtain, with support from the
Scheme. The decorative safety curtain has
been restored and painted by specialists
experienced in trompe-loeil, Hare &
Humphreys. Audiences will experience the
In September 2015 The Theatres Trust
glory of the new safety curtain and further
announced the seventh round of small
auditorium refurbishments at the reopening
capital grants from its Small Grants
Scheme. Grants were awarded to the Horse production, Etienne Sisters.
In January 2015 we awarded Round Six
and Bamboo Theatre Rossendale, Upfront
grants for small capital repair projects to the
Arts Theatre Penrith, Colne’s Pendle
Polka Theatre and Little Angel Theatre in
Hippodrome, Theatre Royal Dumfries,
London, and the Actors Workshop Halifax.
and the Wardrobe Theatre Bristol.
The Polka Children’s Theatre, which
Round Seven marks the start of our fourth
participated in The Theatres Trust’s Ecovenue
year of the Small Grants Scheme, and to date
project, upgraded its two dysfunctional stage
we’ve awarded 37 grants totalling £165,241.
left air-conditioning units in spring 2015 with
Thirty-three of the theatres are based in
more energy-efficient models allowing better
England, (of which 10 are in London), three
temperature regulation. Works also included
in Scotland and one in Wales. Though the
repositioning condenser units to a side wall
Scheme is limited to small capital projects
to ensure that access is available for routine
under £5,000 the benefits are clear to see.
Round Seven awards fulfil a range of needs, maintenance visits – all in time to deal with
the very British summertime weather.
from roof repairs, to soundproofing doors,
An award from The Theatres Trust has
and enhancing accessibility and back of
also helped protect the Little Angel Theatre
house facilities.
against the weather. Its works provided
a full, lasting repair to the flat roof above
News from previous grant recipients
the backstage area of the theatre and the
Round Four recipient London’s Tara Arts is
office, this was an urgent repair needed to
now midway through its capital project.
avoid expensive ongoing maintenance costs
Basement works were completed in June
and prevent water ingress. The work was
2015, and antique doors sourced in India,
completed within a month of the award by
funded by the Scheme, also arrived. The steel
local supplier Evans & Thompson Ltd.
framework of the new Tara Theatre has now
The Grade II listed Actors Workshop in
been erected and fit-out is expected to begin
Halifax also used its award for urgent roof
in September 2015.
Kate Carmichael,
Resources Adviser, reports
on the Trust’s seventh round
of grants, the progress of
previous grant recipients
and introduces the Trust’s
second grants programme,
the London Theatres
Small Grants Scheme.
repairs. Carried out in April 2015 the works
have enabled the venue to reopen rehearsal
and extra dressing room facilities in time for
its July youth production and also proven
successful as the building has remained
dry during recent heavy rains.
Looking to a larger capital project, and our
third Scottish project funded by the Small
Grants Scheme, the Burgh Hall in Dunoon
has completed its soft strip out, and works
are on site. The installation of a low rise lifting
platform to access the stage, funded by the
Scheme, is due to take place in January
2016. Meanwhile, the Burgh Hall has a new
pop-up venue as a temporary home during
the refurbishment works, centrally located in
the main street in Dunoon.
London Theatres Small Grants Scheme
In August 2015, thanks to a donation of
£25,000 from The Mackintosh Foundation,
and with the support of the Mayor of London
we launched the second of our programmes
run through our Theatres Protection Fund, the
London Theatres Small Grants Scheme.
The London scheme is a dedicated capital
fund to help small theatres in London needing
to improve and maintain their buildings
and lever in other sources of investment,
particularly philanthropic support. It follows
the London Assembly investigation led by
Tom Copley AM into the challenges facing
the capital’s small theatres and its July 2013
report Centre Stage: Supporting small
theatres in the capital.
The Trust’s Theatres Protection Fund is
now able to run two grants programmes to
help theatres in need and at risk address
urgent building repairs, improve their
operational viability, introduce environmental
improvements, and enhance physical
accessibility.
Help us build the Fund
There is a high level of demand for our
Small Grants. For every grant awarded there
have been six unsuccessful applicants.
We would like to be able to assist more
theatres. Your support could help grow the
Theatres Protection Fund to assist theatres
in need and at risk in the UK.
To discuss a potential application and
eligibility to either Scheme, or if you are
interested in making a donation to the
Theatres Protection Fund, please contact
Kate Carmichael Resources Adviser,
kate.carmichael@theatrestrust.org.uk
or visit theatrestrust.org.uk/grants
Small Grants Scheme:
Round Seven recipients
Upfront Arts Theatre,
Penrith
£4,000
The grant provides the Upfront Arts
Theatre, Penrith with a valuable new
staircase and improve the accessibility
and audience flow in this unique
purpose-built puppet theatre. The
modern, environmentally friendly theatre, built on the site of a
converted 17th century yeoman’s barn, is the first dedicated theatre
building to have ever been built in Eden District, and is also one of
only four in England designed to technically support the artform of
puppetry. It is unique in having a deep and wide pit for operating rod
puppets and two moveable marionette bridges which can travel the
whole length of the stage area, and a flexible 144-seat auditorium.
The building has several workshop spaces where puppet shows
are designed and built and has a mezzanine performance exhibition
area. The theatre provides a cultural anchor in a rural area, and was
recently awarded ‘Tourism Experience of the Year 2015’ from the
Cumbria Tourist Board. up-front.com
Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
£5,000
The grant supports the Wardrobe
Theatre in Bristol construct a new
dressing room. The Wardrobe Theatre
was founded in 2011 as a Community
Interest Company and is a volunteer-run
arts venue providing alternative theatre,
comedy and regular local events. Its success led to the theatre
deciding to move to operate in a larger venue. The Wardrobe Theatre
is now collaborating with the team behind local operators The
Canteen and No1 Harbourside to create a new space for theatre,
comedy, food, drink, and music in a derelict building in Old Market,
Bristol, due to open in December 2015. thewardrobetheatre.com
Pendle Hippodrome, Colne
£5,000
The grant helps fit a new roof to the
recently acquired building adjacent to
the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre, as
part of a scheme to extend the theatre’s
public areas, to include disabled
facilities, a larger box office and working
kitchen and rehearsal rooms. The Pendle Hippodrome Theatre is
an amateur-run theatre in Colne, Lancashire. It was built as a cinévariety house and it still retains its hemp-based stage flying system.
In 1978 it was taken over by a group of amateur societies who
repaired, restored and improved it over the next eight years. It is run
by volunteers, independently, without outside funding and provides
a venue for local performers, schools, musical, drama and dance
groups as well as being home to the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre
Company and the Pendle Hippodrome Youth Theatre.
phtheatre.co.uk
Theatre Royal Dumfries
£5,000
The grant installs a new entrance, side
and internal doors, in keeping with
Historic Scotland’s requrements for
the category B-listed Theatre Royal
Dumfries. Built in 1792 and said
to be the oldest surviving purposebuilt theatre in Scotland, substantial
alterations were made by Charles
Phipps in 1876. The Guild of Players
bought the building in 1959, saving it from demolition. The Guild
employed architect Colin Morton to create a new theatre auditorium.
It is a host venue for the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, the
Dumfries Music Festival and the Dumfries Musical Theatre Company,
as well as receiving productions by other local groups, and offering
members workshops. The theatre is undergoing major renovations
to rationalise and improve the backstage and front of house areas.
theatreroyaldumfries.co.uk
Horse and Bamboo
Theatre, Rossendale
£5,000
This grant supports the costs of
widening doorways and installing
ramp access, new gates and paving
to allow wheelchair access to the new
community space, part of the Boo
Theatre. This is final element of a wider phased redevelopment which
has expanded community spaces, improved capacity in the main
house, addressed sound proofing issues between the performance
spaces and made environmental improvements. The Boo Theatre,
Rossendale is a local community arts centre and theatre space based
at a converted liberal club, in a former mill town in the Rossendale
Valley. It runs its own programme of drama and dance, and hires it
out to other theatre groups and local schools.
horseandbamboo.org
We have been able to develop
our capital grant-giving role
thanks to the donations of the
Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation
and Judy Craymer MBE in April
2012, and The Mackintosh
Foundation in August 2015.
Progress
is possible
The Theatres Trust’s first
Theatre Buildings at Risk
Register was produced in
2007. Rebecca Morland,
Theatres Adviser, looks
at past Registers, and
highlights some of the
themes that emerge.
Stockton Globe
Photo: Ian Grundy
It is impossible not to note that there are
a number of theatres that were on the
Register in 2007 that are still on it today.
These include some of the most high risk
theatres on the Register, almost all of them
derelict, where a substantial effort is needed
in order to secure their future. However, in a
number of cases progress has been possible.
It can be a really slow process to bring
a theatre building at risk back into use and
this is reflected in the Register, with many
theatres remaining on it for several years,
but with their level of risk reducing.
An excellent example of this is the
Alexandra Palace Theatre, which first came
onto the Register in 2009. The theatre is
part of the vast Alexandra Palace complex
which also includes BBC TV Studios that
played a crucial role in the early development
of television. The Alexandra Park and Palace
Trust developed plans to regenerate the
BBC TV studios, theatre and East Court, and
submitted a major Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF) bid for £16.8m, which was supported
by The Theatres Trust. This has now received
a Stage 2 pass, which means that once
partnership funding has been secured its
regeneration can start. At present, around
£1m still has to be found.
A further example of this is Wilton’s Music
Hall “the most important surviving early
music hall to be seen anywhere... It is of
outstanding architectural and archaeological
significance”, which first appeared on the
Register in 2009 and finally came off it in
2012. It secured HLF Funding in 2013,
enabling it to complete the second stage
of its refurbishment.
Securing capital funding plays an important
role in removing theatres from the Register.
As well as Alexandra Palace and Wilton’s
Music Hall, the Grade II Stockton Globe was
also removed from the Register in 2011, after
development plans for its future were agreed.
In 2013 it received a major HLF Heritage
Enterprise Fund grant, to redevelop the
theatre into a venue for live music.
Community commitment and support has
played a major role in the regeneration of
some theatres, and resulted in their removal
“It is also clear from the
Register that a theatre can
get very close to the brink,
and still come back.”
from the Register. The Shanklin Theatre, on
the Isle of Wight, is a notable example of
this. It was owned and operated by the Isle
of Wight Council, which gave notice of its
closure in 2008. Local supporters formed
a Friends Group, and, supported by The
Theatres Trust, applied to statutorily designate
the theatre, which prevented its demolition.
Whilst the Council agreed to close the theatre
in 2010, the year it featured on the Register,
it also agreed that the theatre could be
operated by a community group, and Shanklin
Theatre and Community Trust first achieved
a Licence to Occupy in 2011, taking over
the freehold in 2013. It is now going from
strength to strength, with an impressive level
of community involvement in every aspect
of its operation.
Similarly, the Grand Pavilion Matlock Bath
(on the Register in 2012 and 2013) is now
operated by the Grand Pavilion Ltd, which
was set up to renovate the building and bring
it back to arts and community use.
Sadly, over the period of the Register some
theatres have been lost – either through
demolition (such as Croydon Warehouse
or Brampton Playhouse) or through
change of use (Mermaid Theatre, which
is now a conference and events centre, or
Bournemouth Pier Theatre, which is now a
climbing and adventure centre). However, in
some cases a loss can lead to a later gain,
when a new theatre emerges.
In 2012, the Trust opposed the closure of
Darlington Arts Centre, which was threatened
by local authority funding cuts. These led to
its closure in 2012, when the Arts Centre
featured on the Register. In July 2013 it was
announced that the building would be put
on the market. In 2014 Theatre Hullaballoo
and the Council announced plans for a
replacement children’s theatre, and this
received Arts Council capital funding in
2014. The old fire station next to Darlington
Civic will be transformed into Theatre
Hullaballoo, a purpose-built children’s theatre,
and Darlington Council is supporting both
this scheme and the renovation of the
Darlington Civic.
It is also clear from the Register that
a theatre can get very close to the brink,
and still come back.
One of the most positive stories in this
respect is Bradford Odeon, which has
been on the Register since 2009. At that
point it was owned by the, then, Regional
Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward,
whose development partners submitted
a planning application for demolition and
redevelopment of the site. This was approved
in 2009. However, the dismantling of all
Regional Development Agencies in 2010
due to Government policy changes meant
that ownership of the building transferred to
the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) in
August 2011. In 2012 the HCA announced
the termination of the agreement with the
developer and on 14 November 2013 the
transfer of the Odeon to Bradford City
Council ownership was completed. Over the
years community pressure for the retention of
the building had grown – spearheaded by the
Bradford Odeon Rescue Group, and Bradford
City Council invited proposals from interested
parties who wished to secure the future of
the building. Bradford Live, which wishes to
transform the Odeon into a live entertainment
venue, is now seeking funding for the project.
One noticeable feature of the Register is
that there is a strand of theatres which do not
Grand Pavillion,
Matlock Baths
Shanklin Theatre,
Isle of Wight
Photo: Ian Grundy
Croydon Warehouse
stay on the Register for very long. They come
on because they close, or are threatened
with closure, but a solution to their problems
is found relatively quickly. Their closure or
potential closure, galvanises community action,
and this leads to local authority intervention
or a change of policy.
The Taunton Brewhouse’s closure in
2013, due to financial problems, led to
considerable community pressure for its
reopening – and its presence on the Register
in 2013. Taunton Deane Borough Council
eventually acquired the theatre and has now
leased it back to Taunton Theatre Association.
The theatre has now reopened and recently
appointed a chief executive. In 2014 the
Register featured the Secombe and Charles
Cryer theatres, both owned and managed by
the London Borough of Sutton. The London
Borough of Sutton had announced that due
to financial pressure they would be unable
to continue operating either theatre, and that
both would close at the end of March 2015.
Considerable community pressure, and the
involvement of The Theatres Trust, led to the
Council’s decision to put both theatres out to
tender, and following a tender process, where
the Trust provided advice to both the Council
and to potential theatres, a new group, the
Sutton Theatres Trust, was appointed to
manage the theatres on a 10-year lease.
The theatres reopened in June 2015.
What conclusions can be drawn from
this review of the Theatre Buildings at Risk
Taunton Brewhouse
The Secombe, Sutton Photo: Ana Vilar
Register, and what role can The Theatres
Trust play in supporting theatres which are
still on the Register?
Most importantly, community involvement
is key. A theatre – like any other community
resource – can only survive and flourish if its
community wants it. The Theatres Trust can,
and does, support community groups that
are passionate about their theatre buildings,
through advice, access to training and
networks.
Whilst local authorities can play a crucial
role in the regeneration of theatres and can
lever in important investment, many theatres
can often flourish more effectively outside
local authority control. Where theatres are
being transferred out of local authority
ownership or management The Theatres
Trust can advocate for and help negotiate
new solutions.
There are many routes back for theatre
buildings. What has worked for a theatre
in Shanklin might not work for a theatre in
Stockport. However, it is also important to
learn from other theatres and supporters
groups, rather than working in isolation.
One of the important roles for The Theatres
Trust is to bring groups together and share
learning and expertise.
And finally, never say never! Even once
a building has closed, or approval for
demolition has been granted, it is possible
for circumstances to change and for theatres
to find a new lease of life.
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LEEDS | 10-11 MAY, 2016
Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr at One Tower Bridge.
Photo: Helen Maybanks
Theatres
Round-up
News on
theatres and
theatre projects
from around
the country
London Theatre Company reveals
plans for new theatre at One
Tower Bridge
Sir Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr,
former artistic director and executive
director of the National Theatre, have
revealed their plans for a new 900seat theatre near Tower Bridge, part
of Berkeley Homes’ One Tower Bridge
development. The new venue will be
designed by Steve Tompkins and
Roger Watts of Haworth Tompkins
Architects.
The new theatre, which will be
the home of the recently established
London Theatre Company, should
open in spring 2017 and will become
the only commercial central London
theatre of its scale outside the West
End. Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr
said: “While London is fortunate in its
heritage of Victorian and Edwardian
theatres, relatively few new theatres
of scale have been built in London
in the last hundred years. It feels like
the time is right for a new theatre that
answers the needs of contemporary
theatre-makers and audiences, and
which will be the home to our new
independent producing company”.
Cameron Mackintosh reveals plans
for Ambassadors Theatre
Producer Cameron Mackintosh has
revealed plans for the Grade II listed
Ambassadors Theatre in London –
to be renamed the Sondheim – that
will see it transformed into a space
for West End transfers primarily from
the subsidised sector. The theatre
is to be transformed into a flexible
performance space with around
450-seats, but its redevelopment
will also include a rehearsal space, a
renovated foyer, new dressing rooms,
and a new cabaret space in the
basement bar. Planning applications
are expected to be submitted late
autumn 2015, with the theatre
planned to open in 2017.
Darlington theatres to be restored
Two Darlington theatres are going
through a period of renovation: the
Majestic is going through construction
work to create a 250-seat theatre
and two bars; and the Grade II listed
Darlington Civic Theatre’s restoration
campaign is getting stronger with
the creation of the Civic Theatre
Foundation Fund, chaired by Charles
Tompkins, and the appointment of
a new Director of Fundraising and
Development, with works proposed
for summer 2016. Darlington’s former
Majestic cinema, which opened in
1932, is being converted into a
mid-scale, multi-purpose theatre
able to host plays, comedy and live
music. The Art Deco building had
been used as a snooker hall until it
went into administration three years
ago. However, having been bought
at auction in 2013 by a group of
supporters, it is now being converted
into a 280-seat theatre space. As well
as hosting professional companies,
the theatre will provide a stage for
amateur and community groups.
Meanwhile, work on the campaign to
restore the Darlington Civic Theatre
is progressing with a new team in
place. A £7.8m project to restore the
Grade II listed building is planned.
Improvements include the creation
of a new café-bar and gallery, better
disabled access and improvements
to backstage areas, which will allow
the theatre to accommodate larger
shows. Work is expected to begin on
the theatre in June 2016 and it will
reopen in autumn 2017.
Fire destroys Southend Theatre
The 120-year-old New Empire
Theatre on Alexandra Street,
Southend, dark since 2008, and
currently on the market with Dedman
Grey Estate Agents, was destroyed
by a fire that broke out in the early
morning of 26 July. The cause of the
fire has been recorded as deliberate
and the police are now conducting an
investigation. The building suffered
extensive damage and the roof has
collapsed, largely destroying the first
floor auditorium, a prominent Victorian
feature. The future of the site is
uncertain.
Britannia Panopticon in Glasgow
restores stage floor
The original stage at the former
theatre at risk, Britannia Panopticon
Music Hall, has been restored and
revealed thanks to a ‘Sponsor a Plank’
fundraising campaign led by the
Friends of the Britannia Panopticon.
The stage has not been seen in
public since 1938 when a tailor’s
firm Weaver To Wearer moved into
the premises and converted the
music hall on the first floor into a
workshop. They built a suspended
ceiling which hid the balcony and
upper auditorium, and used the ground
floor as a shop. Universal Stores
took over the building in the 1960s
and installed a toilet in the stage
location in 1969. In May 2015 stars
of Scottish Variety and supporters
of the Panopticon restoration Tony
Roper, Dorothy Paul, Ronnie Christie
and the Krankies once again trod
upon the hallowed boards. The
Friends now have plans to renovate
and restore the grid above the stage,
the fly floor, the apron and the false
proscenium and are in discussions
with the Royal Conservatoire of
Scotland about using the Panopticon
as a teaching project for technical,
set and scenic art students during its
restoration, and as a new venue for
performance, music, ballet and drama
students once fully restored. Donate
towards the restoration by visiting
britanniapanopticon.org and
clicking on the “Donate” button.
Hornsey Town Hall is granted
Asset of Community Value status
In June 2015 Haringey Council
approved a proposal to allow
companies to bid for the future
use of the Grade II listed Hornsey
Town Hall. Plans had been under
consideration for the building to be
used by the Mountview Academy
of Theatre Arts but the deal fell
through. The Council had considered
a number of alternative options
including conditionally selling the
land in and around the site, selling
the freehold completely and doing
nothing, but decided that a bidding
process was the best way forward. A
budget of £1.48m has been approved
to cover the cost of works to the
building, marketing the site, and the
procurement process to secure a
bidder. The recommendation approved
by the Council is for the building to be
leased on a 125-year basis and that
any bids that fail to ensure ‘suitable
community access’ or clearly set
out how community access to the
building will be guaranteed, will not
be considered. In August 2015 the
Town Hall was granted Asset of
Britannia Panopticon’s restored stage.
Community Value status, after a
successful bid by the Crouch End
Community Arts Festival.
Allied London’s Manchester Factory
appoints project director
Simon Mellor, Arts Council England’s
Executive Director of Arts and Culture,
has been appointed Project Director
for Manchester’s The Factory, part
of the new St John’s development,
named after the Manchester record
label that signed Joy Division and the
Happy Mondays. The 2,200-capacity
venue, billed as a major production
centre for the North, is scheduled
to open in time to host the 2019
Manchester International Festival.
Tenders have been submitted for the
£9.5m design contract for the venue
and the design team is expected to be
in place by mid-November 2015. Last
year the chancellor George Osborne
pledged £78m towards the build costs
of the Factory, which will be built on
the old Granada Studios site on Quay
Street, backing on to the Museum of
Science and Industry. Manchester City
Council has to raise a further £32m
towards the project.
Arts Council England report
emphasizes importance of the
arts and culture sector
In July 2015 Arts Council England
published Contribution of the arts
and culture sector to the national
economy, produced by the Centre for
Economic and Business Research,
in conjunction with the Creative
Industries Federation which published
its own report Arts and Growth;
How public investment in the arts
contributes to growth in the creative
industries. Both reports provide new
New Empire Theatre Southend.
Photo: Southend Standard / Philippe Coe
evidence that the arts and culture
sector makes a strong, tangible
contribution to the national economy.
Download the report: artscouncil.
org.uk/what-we-do/research-anddata/report-contribution-arts-andculture-national-economy.
Edinburgh Assembly Rooms
contract out to tender as
Pleasance Dome future uncertain
Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms, a
building which has been used as a
festival venue for more than 60 years,
has now been put out to tender by
the City of Edinburgh Council. The
Council wants to meet with a varied
group of companies in order to find a
new tenant who can bring fresh and
original ideas, maximizing the potential
of the venue. First, it was home to
Edinburgh International Festival’s
Festival Club, before becoming the
fringe’s first super venue when it
was taken over by William BurdettCoutts in 1981. The contract is for
the period 2016-18, with the potential
to extend the agreement to 2020.
The Pleasance Dome complex will
have to make way for a new wave
of building works beside Edinburgh
University’s student association
complex, Potterrow, under plans for
a large redevelopment of the area
by the university. However there are
plans for a new cultural hub to include
the Pleasance.
Julie’s Bicycle launch guide
to integrating environmental
sustainability into capital projects
The environmental charity Julie’s
Bicycle has developed a guide to
help arts organisations integrate
environmental sustainability into the
process of capital project development.
Aimed at directors and managers of
arts organisations who are planning
to apply for Arts Lottery capital
grants the guide focuses largely
on larger capital projects, although
the advice is also applicable to
smaller capital projects. The guide
also provides advice on embedding
environmental sustainability from
conception to completion of a project,
and on understanding and monitoring
environmental performance. It also
offers case studies from projects
with a variety of investment types, art
forms and locations. These include
Nottingham Playhouse, which is
expected to generate annual savings
of up to £58k thanks to its work to
conserve thermal energy, and The
National Theatre’s Temporary Theatre
(formerly The Shed), for which reused
and recycled materials were used
wherever possible. Download the
Guide: juliesbicycle.com/files/
Fit-for-the-Future-Guide.pdf.
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For regularly updated information
on theatres visit the news section
of our website theatrestrust.org.uk/
news/news
PLASA Show, London
4 – 6 October, ExCeL
The Theatres Trust is delighted to
be exhibiting at PLASA this October.
We are once again producing
the TheatreStage, a hub on the
PLASA show floor for the theatre
sector to make announcements,
give presentations, divulge charity
messages, throw book launches
and host award ceremonies.
The initial schedule already includes
a great mix of theatre organisations ALD, Backstage Heritage Collection,
Behind the Scenes UK, Entertainment
Workshops, Society of Theatre
Consultants, Stage Lighting Training,
Stage Management Association, The
Theatrical Guild, University of South
Wales, among others.
This year, PLASA has secured
some interesting speakers as well
as the latest innovations in live
entertainment technology with 300+
brands showcasing new and exciting
products in professional audio, lighting,
AV, broadcast. Including Robe, Clay
Paky, d&baudiotechnik, Trusslite, After
Dark as well as the new exhibitors
including Cavotec International,
Consultancy Team, d3 Technologies,
Digitalcom, Gloshine, Industrial
Electronic Wiring, ILME UK, Impact
Products, LjusDesign, The Music
Group Technical Lighting Solutions
and more.
PLASA is also working closely
with a number of industry trade
organisations including BECTU,
PSA, ABTT, ALD and SiPA who
will discuss diverse subjects from
technical standards to tax essentials
for freelancers.
Make sure you don’t miss
out. Register to attend PLASA
Show London for FREE today via
theatrestrust.org.uk/events.
Duke of York’s Theatre, London
Photo: Ian Grundy
Current Casework
Update on
current theatre
planning cases
Duke of York’s Theatre, London
Westminster City Council
Listed Grade II
15/03991/FULL and 15/0390/LBC
Decision: Approved
The Trust supported a proposal to
construct a side extension containing
a lift and to reinstate use of the upper
circle at the Duke of York’s Theatre.
As part of alterations in 1980, a large
truss was installed across the upper
circle to support the balcony, which
had to be taken out of use at the time.
It is extremely intrusive, as it sits under
the edge of the dome and cuts off
the upper part of the auditorium. A
new truss will be installed above the
auditorium roof which will allow the
existing truss to be removed to restore
the appearance of the auditorium
and enable the theatre to increase its
capacity by a further 105 seats. The
existing rooftop terrace will be extended
to conceal the new rooftop truss and
will be used in conjunction with a new
third floor lounge to be created by
remodelling the existing office space.
The external fire escape stairs will be
upgraded and a new modern extension
to the north side of the theatre will be
built to facilitate the installation of a
lift to provide full access between the
ground and upper levels of the building.
Garrick Theatre, London
Westminster City Council
Listed Grade II*
15/04820/FULL, 15/04821/LBC
and 15/06017/LBC
Decision: Approved
The current get in arrangements for
the Garrick Theatre are inadequate for
the safe and efficient delivery of sets
and equipment as the existing dock
door is extremely narrow with a 3m
drop to the backstage floor. This means
deliveries need to be lowered to the
stage floor level via a mechanical winch
or physically carried to the stage via the
foyer, stall stairs and auditorium. The
Trust therefore supported a proposal to
widen the dock door to 1.5m, and install
a loading deck and a platform lift that
will access the stage floor and the substage area to address these safety and
access issues. The new door will be
acoustically rated to reduce the impact
of traffic noise. Internal alterations
will also be made to upgrade the bar
at the rear of the stalls by creating a
second door to improve circulation,
refurbishing the room to create a larger
bar with additional serving positions,
and improving air flow. Repainting and
a new carpet throughout the theatre
will refresh the interior.
Perth Theatre
Perth and Kinross Council
Listed Grade B
15/00995/LBC & 15/00994/FLL
Decision: Approved
In 2013 the Trust supported plans to
restore and upgrade the Perth Theatre,
however, budget constraints have
required a reassessment and redesign
of the scheme. The Trust has supported
the revised plans as they will continue
to achieve the key objectives of the
scheme even though they reduce
the footprint of the proposed new
building works and retain more of the
existing structure. Restoration of the
auditorium remains a key element and
public access and seating in the upper
circle will be reinstated to return the
theatre to its original Edwardian layout.
The control room, lighting positions,
and sound desk will be reconfigured
to improve the technical capacity of
the theatre. The majority of works
involve redevelopment of the 1980s
East Block, which will contain the
new foyer, main staircase, restaurant,
studio, community rooms and the new
main entrance facing Mill Street. The
studio has been reduced in size from
224 to approximately 200-seats, but
retains the flexible courtyard style
format, and the new main foyer will
provide a unified link between the
entry points, performance spaces, and
the community rooms on the upper
level via new staircases and lifts that
provide a clear circulation route around
the theatre. The existing studio and
wardrobe will be reused as a new
workshop and rehearsal rooms.
Neeld Hall
Wiltshire Council
Listed Grade II
15/07159/FUL and 15/07180/LBC
Decision: Approved
The Trust supported a scheme to
improve the foyer and public spaces,
the connection between the Town
Hall and Neeld Hall, and the venue’s
support facilities. In the Town Hall
the proposal seeks to open up the
original vaulted market space on the
ground floor by removing the existing
partitions, which will become the front
of house area for the Neeld Hall. This
will allow for a direct public connection
to be made between the two buildings.
Within Neeld Hall, a retractable tiered
seating unit will be installed which
will improve audience experience and
sightlines. Additional stairs to the stage
will be added and an orchestra pit
will be provided. Part of the adjacent
building was also recently purchased
and this will be refurbished to create
a new bar which will be accessed via
a new door directly connected to the
hall. In addition, the general upgrade
of the building, particularly the lighting,
sound and fire safety systems and
WCs will improve the environmental
performance and sustain the heritage
asset for future generations to enjoy.
Redstack Playhouse, Bexhill
Rother District Council
Not listed
RR/2015/117/P
Decision: Approved
Wetherspoon’s, which recently
purchased the former Bexhill Playhouse,
received approval to convert the former
cinema and theatre into a public house.
The Trust objected to the proposal and
encouraged consideration of reuse of
the ground floor of the building as a
public house and the refurbishment
and reuse of the existing auditorium in
the former balcony area on the upper
level for cultural purposes. Both uses
would be beneficial to each other and
there are many examples of where this
has successfully occurred around the
country. Rother District Council agreed
with the applicant and supported the
application as a means to stimulate
regeneration in Bexhill. The Playhouse
was removed from the Trust’s Theatre
Buildings at Risk Register.
Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate
Harrogate Borough Council
Listed Grade II
15/02360/RG3
Decision: Approved
The Trust supported a listed building
application to improve fire and
audience safety within Frank Tugwell’s
1900 Harrogate Theatre. The works
include the installation of a brass
balustrade at each end of the circle
balcony to increase the height of the
balcony in front of the side gangways.
Garrick Theatre, London
Photo: Ian Grundy
The balustrade will match other
handrails used in the building and the
existing cushion top will be retained.
LED lighting will be installed in
the central aisle on the balcony to
highlight the steps, as balustrades
in this location were deemed too
intrusive to sightlines. Alterations will
also be made to the stalls and stalls
bar fire exit to provide a double rather
than single door and to remove the
existing step which currently hinders
a safe exit from the building.
The Cube, Bristol
Bristol City Council
Listed Grade II
15/02071/LA and 15/01487/F
Decision: Approved
The Trust supported a proposal
to refurbish Bristol’s The Cube to
improve access around the 105-seat
theatre and cinema. The works involve
the rearrangement of the ground floor
WC, bar, foyer and courtyard layout to
make better and more efficient use
of the space available and improve
how the building functions. A small
two storey extension will be added to
facilitate installation of a lift to make
the auditorium accessible and the
backstage area will be remodelled to
create additional office space above
the wing.
Libanus 1877 Theatre, Borth,
Ceredigion
Ceredigion County Council
Not listed
A150350
Decision: Approved
The Trust supported an application
for the change of use and alterations
to Borth’s former Gerlan Chapel to
create a holiday let, restaurant, and
Artists impression of the
Hotham Project, Bognor Regis
Image: Maxwell Communications
boutique cinema/theatre. The former
chapel has been vacant for four years
and the proposal is to convert the
ground floor of the chapel into a small
30-seat cinema capable of being
used for theatre with the provision of
a small stage and two small dressing
rooms on either side. The upper part
of the chapel will be converted into
a lounge and a restaurant, with a
balcony being installed above the
entry to take advantage of the local
views. The former residence attached
to the rear of the chapel will be
refurbished as a holiday rental.
Proposed Theatre, Bognor Regis
Arun District Council
Not listed
BR/26/15/PL
Decision: Pending
A proposal has been submitted for
demolition and redevelopment of
the Alexandra Theatre, Regis Centre
and Hothampton Car Park in Bognor
Regis, and the construction of a
new 1,100-seat theatre and hotel
complex. The Trust did not object, but
raised a number of concerns about
the proposal and its viability and
about the loss of an important small
scale theatre venue in the town. The
new theatre will be integrated into a
hotel building with the hotel rooms
located above the theatre foyer. The
proposed theatre is designed to have
two balconies with long slips down
either side, multi-purpose foyers that
can be used as function space, and
a large stage house and fly tower to
attract touring shows. The initial plans
did have issues related to sightlines,
means of escape and the provision
of support facilities and amended
plans are expected to be submitted
to address these concerns.
Palace Theatre, Plymouth
Plymouth City Council
Listed Grade II*
15/00904/LBC
Decision: Approved
Plymouth’s Palace Theatre, and the
adjoining hotel, have been listed on
the Trust’s Theatre Buildings at Risk
Register for a number of years as
one of the theatre buildings most at
risk due to its poor state of repair.
The Trust therefore supported an
application to repair the building to
make it safe and watertight and avoid
further deterioration. The theatre
has been empty since 2006 and
significant investment is required to
make both the theatre and the hotel
safe and to stabilise the condition
of the building. Historic England,
Plymouth City Council, and The
Theatres Trust are working closely
with the applicants, a local charity, GO!
(Greater Opportunities) Together that
trains disadvantaged people, to provide
guidance and to monitor the repair
work to ensure that the work complies
with the listed building consent.
Camden People’s Theatre
London Borough of Camden
Unlisted
Ref.: 2015/4232/P
Decision: Pending
The Trust objected to an application
to create residential units on the
upper levels of the building containing
the Camden People’s Theatre. The
theatre is an important local cultural
asset with strong community support
that has been operating since 1994
and the Trust was substantially
concerned about the adverse effect
the development will have on the long
term viability and operation of the
theatre. The Trust argued that the noise
assessment and the noise insulation
measures proposed were not sufficient
to ensure there would be no impact on
either use and that the living conditions
in the new dwellings would not be
satisfactory. The application was to be
reported to the planning committee in
September, but following the Trust’s
submission, the application has been
postponed pending further details
about noise insulation.
For regularly updated information
on planning applications and
consultations visit the news section
of our website, theatrestrust.org.uk/
news/planning
Other News
Historic England has launched four new
‘Enhanced Advisory Services’ which will
be offered for a fee and will be provided
alongside their existing free taxpayer
funded planning and listing services.
The new services will be available from
12 October 2015 and include:
• Fast-track Listing: providing decisions
in a quicker and guaranteed timeframe.
• Listing Enhancement: providing clarity
over the extent of statutory protection
in a guaranteed timeframe.
• Extended Pre-application Advice:
providing engagement in preapplication advice beyond an initial
free service.
• Listing Screening Service: providing
assessment of the likelihood of any
heritage assets with the degree of
interest that would warrant statutory
Listing.
For more information visit
historicengland.org.uk/servicesskills/our-planning-services/
enhanced-advisory-servicesconsultation/
Reading Matter
Reviews of recent
publications on
theatres
The Theatres and
Concert Halls of
Fellner and Helmer
Michael Sell
ISBN 978-1904031772
£23.95
Entertainment Technology Press
Paperback: 244 pp
Whether you are an amateur theatre
lover or a professional historian,
Michael Sell’s book The Theatres and
Concert Halls of Fellner and Helmer
deserves your attention because it
simultaneously explores the secrets
of theatre art, architecture and history.
This small sized publication contains a
sea of knowledge about the theatrical
and architectural wealth of the
Viennese company Ferdinand Fellner
and Hermann Helmer.
The author has adopted the
principle ‘from general to specific’
further simplifying the learning
process by dividing the book into two
main sections. The first part of the
book contains texts describing the
various stages of their life and work,
their rich relations, as well as the wide
historical and geographical context
in which the firm operated. Thanks
to this structure, the reader already
familiar with Fellner and Helmer
can refresh their memory, whilst
the novice receives informational
they need to begin their adventure.
Recollecting the names of other
architects who worked for the Atelier
also uncovers the managerial style of
the company and the collaboration
within the firm. Thanks to a wide list
of architects affiliated with the Atelier,
a web of relationships is created
which can be further investigated
and expanded.
The second and main part of the
book focuses on specific theatre
buildings and concert halls. The
breadth and diversity of Fellner’s and
Helmer’s oeuvre pictured by Mr Sell
is a testament to the huge research
work of analysis and comparison
made by the author. For almost 140
pages Michael Sell weaves together
the story of individual buildings. He
doesn’t judge, but describes what
was found during his personal visits
to these theatres and archives.
Starting with Agrem or current day
Zagreb, the buildings are ordered
alphabetically according to the cities
in which they were built. Current
names are given next to the theatres’
historical names. The buildings are
also divided into finished as well
as unrealised projects. With each
building we are given a short note
about the history of its construction,
reconstruction and other important
events. At the end of each note is
a kind of ‘theatre passport’, with
information about its capacity, costs
of construction, stage measurements,
interior design and the place where
one can find the original blueprints.
This ‘passport’ also tells us what
other important structures were
built by Fellner and Helmer in
that city. The technical data in the
building descriptions can certainly
be useful for today’s directors
and scenographers planning their
performances in these theatres.
What is particularly riveting is
its fantastic collection of drawings,
photos and sketches. This
small book’s rich photographic
documentation gives the reader a
good grasp of the subject and a great
first comparison of the buildings. Our
further study is encouraged at every
turn of the page by the author. Much
of the documentation comes from
the never before seen private archive
of Ferdinand Fellner’s estate. Thanks
to the work of Michael Sell we have
the opportunity to be close to such
treasures.
Considering the increasing growth
of cultural tourism Michael Sell’s
book is a great asset to the library
of anyone who would like to explore
the world and its heritage through
theatres. This book can be easily
placed in your suitcase as a holiday
guide, and used to search for travel
as well as intellectual ideas.
Monika Zytkowiak (with editing
support from Bartosz Zytkowiak)
Setting the scene:
Perspectives on 20th
Century Theatre
Architecture
Edited by Alistair Fair
ISBN 978-1472416520
£65
Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Hardback: 256 pp
Alistair Fair is an architectural historian
who has written a number of books
and articles on post-war theatre
architecture. I particularly commend his
survey of 1970s theatre architecture
published in the 2012 volume of
The Twentieth Century Society’s
Journal, and also look forward to his
forthcoming book on new theatres in
Britain from the 1950s to the 1980s.
This book is an interesting collection
of essays by various authors on a
range of topics. Some pieces are
inevitably better than others, but there
are certainly some nuggets worth
digging for. To the well-informed British
reader the articles on developments in
Europe and beyond will be less familiar
and possibly of more interest.
A few personal favourites include
Gerald Adler’s description of The
Festspielhaus at Hellerau (1913),
by the architect Heinrich Tessenow,
where the client was a Eurythmic
Dance Company and the stage
consultant was Adolphe Appia, the
doyenne of modernist stage designers
at the time. The resulting theatre
is an extraordinary white box, with
backlit walls and ceilings. It has neither
wing space nor flying space and in
some ways is a precursor to today’s
ubiquitous ‘black box’ theatre, but
glowing from within to emphasise the
three dimensional scenery of Appia
and the stylised movement of the
dancers.
Another notable piece is a survey
of post-war theatres in West Germany,
by Elain Harwood. I was staggered
to discover that between 1946 and
1967 there were 73 new professional
theatres built in West Germany and
nearly 200 existing theatres were
rebuilt, while in the UK we managed
only 23. The expectation of every
German town and city was to have its
own theatre and these often contained
large auditoria suitable for opera, with
the full panoply of stage engineering
we have come to expect. It should be
said that the architecture was for the
most part uninspiring but the civic pride
and financial commitment remarkable.
The final highlight for me is the
excellent piece by Arnold Aronson on
‘Ideal Theatres’ in the United States,
which discusses with great lucidity the
failure of mechanised flexible spaces
and the artistically-driven move, from
the 1960s onwards, towards the use
of found space, or ‘repurposing of
existing structures’, to create theatres
which are less reliant on technology
and much more characterful.
Tim Foster
“We aim to provide
something that is world
class in every aspect, front
of house and on stage.”
Stuart Griffiths
Birmingham Hippodrome
Chief Executive
After 30 years and over 1000 performances, the main
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Theatre Buildings at Risk Register 2015

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