Hoardings up as £7m redevelopment work starts at theatre
WORK has started on the £7million redevelopment of the Theatre Royal in Plymouth.
Hoardings are being put up around the piazza area and main entrance of the theatre by contractors BAM, ahead of work getting under way and site offices being installed.
-
Computer generated image of a redeveloped Theatre Royal
The regeneration is one of the projects in the city's Plan for Jobs, and will set the stage for a revival of the West End of the city.
The show will go on at the Theatre Royal in the meantime.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
Although the hoardings now going up will block the main entrance, patrons will be able to use the Drum Theatre entrance. Wheelchair patrons will have access to the disabled ramp up to the Drum Theatre entrance as usual.
The theatre will close fully in mid-April and reopen for the first tour of the world-acclaimed War Horse in September.
While the work is done, shows will be put on at the TR2 building at Coxside.
The substantial refurbishment includes a new auditorium, better access, and a makeover of the public areas outside the building.
The work will create 30 construction jobs, a number of new permanent jobs and secure existing jobs in the theatre.
Plymouth City Council, which subsidises the theatre, put together a £1,995,000 funding package to pave the way for a £5million Arts Council England commitment. The deal will see the city's subsidy for the next three years paid as a lump sum.
The council also restructured the lease arrangement on the council-owned theatre building to meet Arts Council security requirements.
The theatre has launched a fundraising campaign to raise an additional £2 million.
Council leader Tudor Evans said: "We have 19 projects in our Plan for Jobs and this particular scheme is part of one that looks at how the regeneration of the West End can maximise local employment.
"The Theatre Royal is one of Plymouth's massive success stories and brings in visitors from all over the region day after day. Its incredible national reputation is also great for Plymouth as its spreads the word far and wide.
"This project has major job implications – not just the build, or the staff within the theatre but the businesses such as the cafes and bars and taxis will all see the benefits of this scheme."
The redevelopment will see the building re-clad to improve energy efficiency by up to 40 per cent.
The front of the building will be extended to allow level access.
There will be a new box office, shop and cafe, an outdoor terrace area and an extended restaurant and a new studio space in the theatre basement which will provide a city centre location for work with young people and community groups.
7 Comments
by Waltersmith
Sunday, February 17 2013, 10:48PM
“It looks like the Guggenheim!”
by shipmateron
Sunday, February 17 2013, 8:01AM
“Yeah, I can just imagine the huge raft of applications for a Theatre Manager post advertised saying 'no luvvies please'.”
by swoop4
Sunday, February 17 2013, 7:49AM
“...or even been there for becades.”
by swoop4
Saturday, February 16 2013, 1:14PM
“How about some fresh management to replace the luvvies who've deen there for decades?”
by DJANGO6421
Saturday, February 16 2013, 11:47AM
“JT. The answer to that is that the city councilors don't give a flying **** about the people who pay their wages, just so long as they can ride the ever increasing free perks and expenses train.”
by JTPlymouth
Saturday, February 16 2013, 10:47AM
“I'm really pleased this is happening and I hope we see more of the same. However, I cannot understand why maintenance of the city centre is so badly neglected by Plymouth City Council when they can find not insignificant sums of money like the subsidy for this.
Almost every single paving slab in vast expanses of the city centre is broken or loose. Adjacent to the courts opposite the Civic Centre, more slabs are loose and broken than intact. During the week, I saw two workman standing with their hands in their pockets next to a council van around a solitary slab they had just relaid. Later that day, they were gone. 100s of dangerous paving slabs and they had fixed just one!!!
Then there is the fenced off paving outside Barclays....
What the hell is wrong with this damned council?”
by DJANGO6421
Saturday, February 16 2013, 10:32AM
“What about repairing the blasted roads?”