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Theatre faces being replaced but show must go on

Sophie Parkerin Swindon
News imageBBC Laura James smiles at the camera while sitting on the theatre seating - the seating is slightly blurred behind her, but shows rows of fold-up tiered seating.BBC
Theatre director Laura James said they continue to invest to keep the building running

Repairs and improvements are continuing to be carried out on a town theatre even though the director admits the aging venue "needs to be replaced".

Laura James, director of the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, has been overseeing a series of small improvements, such as re-upholstering seating, but she says the town "needs and deserves a bigger and brand new venue".

Swindon Borough Council recently said it would not be good value to spend millions on the building but it does want to keep the theatre open until a new venue is finished.

The council wants to have a business case ready to put in front of councillors in February.

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The Wyvern currently has a rolling programme to re-upholster the auditorium seating.

Last year, there was a project to refresh backstage areas, there are new automatic doors in the foyer replacing ones from the 1970s when it opened, and there have been improvements to the boiler system.

News imageA view of the theatre seating from the side - three large sections of fold-out tiered seating, red with blue peppered in where seats are slowly being re-upholstered.
The seats are being re-upholstering in batches, with the fresh material in blue

James explained there is always a lot going on in terms of maintenance, but much of it is not "always visible to the public".

"It'll be a be an incredibly sad day when the Wyvern does close but no building can last forever and we know the time is approaching when we need to find a new space," she said.

James would like to see a venue with larger capacity because there is "appetite" for larger shows that currently can not be accommodated at the Wyvern.

News imageA fairly plain room with white walls except for a couple of sections of blue behind dressing room mirrors and where a hanging rail for costumes is. There is a worktop next to the mirrors with chairs.
The backstage dressing rooms have been repainted and refreshed

Councillor Matthew Vallender, the cabinet member for culture, said it is a "lovely space" that accommodates community groups as well as the usual big shows.

But he said: "We're past our economic lifespan. Trying to do wholesale refurbishment is not going to be cost effective.

"It's how we can find a way to continue to deliver a new theatre in Swindon without risking a closure here at all."

He said the council does not intend to close the Wyvern until a new venue is ready and finished to move into.

News imageA set of black double doors backstage - these lead onto the stage and are for the cast and crew. There are laminated signs stuck on it to remind people to be quiet. There is also a large original 1970s sign across the top.
Lots of the signage above doors is from the 1970s

A new venue is expected to cost about £45m, with £20m already secured from the government and the council hopes that the rest can be found from private investment.

Vallender said they are getting the numbers together for the business case in February.

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