Theatre

Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (BGWMC) has been designated an Asset of Community Value by Tower Hamlets Council, granting locals a 'right to bid' if the building goes up for sale.

The LGBTQ+ performance space has been at risk of closure after its owners revealed plans to sell the club as soon as possible and asked the venue's programming team to vacate the premises in July.

The council’s decision comes in response to an application made by community group Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club and grants them up to six months to fundraise for a bid.  

The performers' union Equity, which supported the application, said it is currently negotiating with the owners of BGWMC, who have expressed a willingness to allow a community purchase, to extend the fundraising period.

Nick Keegan, Equity Variety Organiser, says:  “The decision to protect Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club as an Asset of Community Value is fantastic news and a crucial step towards saving the club.

"The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has rightly recognised BGWMC for what it is – a pillar of London’s nightlife ecosystem, a vital workplace for Equity members, and an important part of the queer and local community.  

“The response to this campaign so far has been phenomenal. Everyone who signed the petition, turned up to the rally or spread the word has played their part in this positive outcome. However, the campaign has not been won yet – raising the funds to purchase BGWMC for the community will be a mammoth task.”

Bromley Council has authorised proposals to provide a "fully provisioned" replacement for Churchill Theatre after rumours were growing that the site was being "flogged".

Following concerns that the theatre’s 1970s structure was “beyond economic repair”, the council announced plans to update it in October 2023, with an estimated costs of up to £28m.

Initially, the council intended to transfer the freehold of the building to Trafalgar Group, which has been managing the theatre since 2017. However, the authority revealed in March it would be opening it up to bids from private developers and later listed the freehold on Rightmove for unconditional offers.

Speaking at a meeting, Council Leader Colin Smith said that despite “rumours being spread by unknown third parties” of “flogging” the building, there has to be a theatre on the site that must be “fully provisioned” operating to the existing standards of the Churchill. 

He added that while he hoped Trafalgar would still win the bid, there was a duty of care to ensure they “raise as much revenue as possible for the council’s taxpayers”.

Concerned the sale may lead to a change of use, the Liberal Democrat group started a petition to guarantee the site remains a theatre following its redevelopment, which has received over 5,600 signatures.

In response to Smith's statement, Liberal Democrat Councillor Julie Ireland said: “The thing that we hear most about from people, and we get emails all the time, is that they feel they have been left in the dark.

"To hear your reassurance today that there will be a theatre on that site of the same size and capacity will mean a huge amount to people who have come out and signed in their thousands the petition to save the theatre.”
 

A theatre and arts centre in Hampshire is to get a new home as part of a regeneration project funded by an £18.3m government levelling-up award.

The Lights in Andover will be relocated to a purpose-built building in a new location by the town's bus station and shopping centre car park.

Test Valley Borough Council has appointed architects Burrell Foley Fischer (BFF), whose previous projects include Winchester Theatre Royal and New Theatre Royal Portsmouth.

The new building will have a "state-of-the-art auditorium and modern spaces" and is expected to open in early 2027.

The scheme is part of the Andover town centre masterplan, which the council adopted in 2020. 

Leader of the Council Phil North said BFF had been chosen "for the quality of their work and extensive expertise in the cultural sector". 

BFF director Helen Grassly said that "whilst representative of the area and its history", the company would "provide a contemporary building for The Lights to expand their cultural and community offer”.

A planning application is expected later this year.

Ipswich Borough Council has announced plans for a £3.45m renovation of the city’s Regent Theatre to be completed by December 2025.

If approved, the project would be financed by a 20p restoration levy added to tickets, to be introduced from 5 August.

The renovation will include the installation of a lift, improvements to accessibility, larger bars and foyer areas, and updates to the canopy over the front doors.

It is the second phase of improvement works, the first part of which was completed last year with changes made to car parks, dressing rooms, backstage areas, and catering facilities.

A report set to be presented to the council's executive committee on 16 July said the project "will ensure that the Regent Theatre remains at the forefront of Ipswich’s visitor economy for many years to come."

Lavender Theatre in Surrey will embark on a year-long hiatus for upgrade works to take place.

The open-air theatre in Epsom said it will pause productions following its launch last year after it was decided that further work - including reinforcing audience footpaths and relocation of dressing-room facilities closer to the backstage areas - was required.

Artistic Director and co-founder Joe McNeice told The Stage the decision was made after the planning process for the changes "dragged on."

"We are in a greenfield space, in a lavender field, and building a theatre out of nothing was a lot of work, and there were still some things we wanted to improve on," he said.

"The problem was [the planning] got approved far too late, and so it became impossible for us to take that financial risk so late in the day to get everything ready for what we perceived might be quite a rushed season."