This campaign has now closed

Plans for the development of the ‘Back-Lot’ – the disused space behind the theatre – are in place, and all that’s needed now is for us to reach our £4million fundraising target! Getting there will mean that we can completely transform our current stage and backstage facilities, opening up the theatre to the best of national and international touring companies, and also create a new 150 seat community studio, giving, local theatre and youth groups tremendous opportunities to develop and perform.

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Categories

  • Arts/Culture/Heritage Arts/​Culture/​Heritage
  • Education/Training/Employment Education/​Training/​Employment
  • Beneficiaries

    • Children (3-18) Children (3-18)
    • Older People Older People
    • Women & Girls Women & Girls
    • Young People (18-30) Young People (18-30)
    • Other Other

    Situation

    We are hoping to rebuild and regenerate the back area of the New Theatre Royal, which has lain unusable since 1972. In order to allow our Theatre to grow and develop, we desperately need more space and improved facilities. The back part of the Theatre burnt down in 1972, and the entire structure only reopened in the late 1970s thanks to the tireless work of local volunteers. This is the first real opportunity we have had to return the theatre to its former capacity. Reaching our £4 million target will mean that we can increase our seat numbers by 175 to 700, reconstruct the stage and dressing rooms, and create much-needed office space as well as an exciting new 150 seat community theatre and incubational education space, for use by the University of Portsmouth, schools and local drama groups. The extra space will also allow us to attract the best of contemporary national and international theatre companies, commission new work and extend our production capabilities, and also allow us to develop our programme of workshops and youth development opportunities (for instance, we cannot host dance workshops due to the reduced stage space, and the youth groups have to hire different venues when we have a company in residence). In addition to this, we currently lack the space to create our own sets or store our own costumes or props, and our disability/access provision is at the barest minimum level. The re-build will address all of these problems, maximising the theatre’s potential and creating an exciting creative conduit for the city. We have done a great deal of fundraising already: in January we ran our own ‘Let’s Make It Great’ weekend, which was a great success, culminating in the announcement of Sheila Hancock OBE as our campaign’s patron. The entire weekend helped to raise our fundraising profile immeasurably, within the local and national TV, radio and press. Our next event is a screening of ‘The Boyfriend’, with Ken Russell and the film’s cast in attendance (Twiggy included!), as it was filmed on location in our theatre just a year before the aforementioned fire. We are also planning a corporate fundraising dinner on HMS Victory, an open air concert in the summer and several other events for later in the year. We have already raised £700,000, thanks to the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire, in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth, and received a further £50,000 from the Arts Council. We are also in the process of applying for support from the Heritage Lottery fund.

    Solution

    100%
    Categories

  • Arts/Culture/Heritage Arts/​Culture/​Heritage
  • Education/Training/Employment Education/​Training/​Employment
  • Beneficiaries

    • Children (3-18) Children (3-18)
    • Older People Older People
    • Women & Girls Women & Girls
    • Young People (18-30) Young People (18-30)
    • Other Other