Member Article

CMS to perform key role at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Commercial Maintenance Services UK Ltd (CMS) has won a contract at one of the North East’s most prominent buildings.

Headquartered in Gateshead, the facilities maintenance company will service and maintain the heating system at Newcastle Theatre Royal, situated in the city’s Grainger Town heritage quarter.

The project is a complex one due to the historic nature of the building and because it comprises different areas that have been added or created over the years.

The contract will involve maintaining a plant room as well as individual gas boilers spread throughout the theatre, as well as 24/7 repair support provided by its emergency response team.

CMS, which provides a nationwide service, is widely regarded as specialists in the installation, maintenance, and repair of business-critical services such as gas, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical and catering equipment.

Bethany Waterworth, the Theatre’s operations coordinator, said: “The enjoyment and comfort of our customers is a top priority and ensuring our heating system is running efficiently is an integral part of this.

“We also have a duty of care to preserve such a historic building to the highest standards and it is important that we use contractors that are capable of delivering a quality service.”

Nic Smith, CMS’s operations director, said: “Newcastle Theatre Royal is a much-loved part of the city’s landscape and is familiar to thousands of people in the region and beyond, who have enjoyed the wide variety of shows staged there.

“It is an immense honour to help maintain the critical services of such a prestigious building, that is one of the country’s leading theatres, and help it continue to offer a comfortable environment for audiences.”

Newcastle Theatre Royal was granted its Royal licence by King George III and was originally in Drury Lane, off Mosley Street, when it first opened in 1788.

Nearly half a century later it moved to its current location in Grey Street, where it was regarded as a flagship development in builder Richard Grainger and architect John Dobson’s plans to reshape and improve Newcastle.

It features what is regarded as one of the finest theatre facades in the UK, and many famous names of the English stage have trodden its boards including Sir Ian McKellen, who once described it as his favourite theatre.

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