Theatre awarded £538k for auditorium refurbishment

4 hours ago

Alex Pope

News image — Top Gs Like Me was put on in the Derngate theatre in February and March, utilising its flexible space

Manuel Harlan A theatrical production, showing a box like structure in a theatre, with several actors standing on it. It represents a skatepark. There is painted graffiti on the ground. Rows of seats can be seen around the box. — Top Gs Like Me was put on in the Derngate theatre in February and March, utilising its flexible space

A theatre that was closed when Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) was discovered has been awarded more than £500,000 so its auditorium can be refurbished.

The charity that runs the Royal & Derngate in Northampton has been given the grant from Arts Council England to allow for the 43-year-old Derngate building to be upgraded.

The money will also be spent on improving its audio enhancement system.

Holly Gladwell, its deputy chief executive, said the "vital funding" would "transform the experience for our audiences and teams for years to come".

Hollis The inside of a theatre, showing racked seating, items for a band, set up on the stage and lights hanging down from the ceiling. The seats are empty, with boxes to either side of the stage. There are curtains around the stage. — The Derngate was built in 1983 with a flexible auditorium space that can host theatre productions, concerts and sporting events

Liz Johnson, Midlands area director at Arts Council England, said the £538,000 that had been awarded would "lead to better accessibility and inclusion".

"The upgrades will reduce maintenance costs and improve the comfort and appreciation for audiences for many years to come," she said.

"At a critical time for the organisation, it will help build our resilience and ensure we can deliver a theatre fit for the future while continuing to play a vital role in supporting the local economy and the wider cultural sector."

In March, the charity announced it was having to make redundancies to ensure its "long-term sustainability".

The theatre said the funding would be strictly allocated to a capital project to refurbish the auditorium and "cannot be used for any other purpose".

The work is expected to start next year.

Frasershot Studios Audiences at Royal & Derngate, most of them are clapping their hands and smiling. A mixture of ages are in the seats, they are all looking towards a stage, that cannot be seen. — Frankie Goes To Bollywood is being performed at the theatre until Saturday

It is part of £130m in government funding that has been promised to 130 cultural venues, museums and libraries across the country.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it would help preserve them "for future generations", adding: "Arts and culture are the beating hearts of our communities, they have the power to unite us in the face of division and break down barriers to opportunity."

The venue consists of two theatres, next door to each other.

The Derngate auditorium, which opened in 1983, has a capacity of 1,500. The Royal - a traditional repertory theatre which opened in 1884 - can hold 450 people.

They were merged into one complex in 2005.

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