Member Article

Final curtain call for Tyneside theatre

The Theatre Royal Newcastle hosted its final performance on Saturday (1 July) before closing for three and a half months. The final curtain call comes as work begins to transform the former Barclays Bank building on Market Street into a new Theatre Foyer, Box Office and Bar/Bistro area.The £5million re-furbishment – the largest in the theatre’s 170-year history – will also see it gain a new Education Centre, which will allow it to forge ever stronger links with schools, colleges and theatre groups across the region. Philip Bernays chief executive of the Theatre Royal said: “This project is an enormous undertaking and it will transform the Theatre’s façade on Market Street. “It is unfortunate that we must close our doors for the summer but it is essential to get the project underway. The major work inside the Theatre involves extending the backstage area by 76m² and installing a new scenery flying system.“Funding for the project has come from a number of private sources, charitable trusts and Newcastle City Council. The Northern Rock Foundation also donated £800,000 towards the development. The Theatre’s seat naming rights campaign and public appeal raised an additional £70,000 towards the £7 million project target. A total of 210 seats have been named so far, raising £52,000.The Theatre Royal re-opens on Tuesday 17 October with Grease, before welcoming Hollywood star Patrick Stewart and the Royal Shakespeare Company in November. Work will continue alongside performances until May 2007 when the Theatre will officially open the Market Street extension.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .