Reading Rep Theatre is to open its first permanent home in Spring 2021. The new cultural hub will allow the company to continue to produce increasingly ambitious work as Reading's only year-round professional producing theatre.
Artists impression of Reading Rep Theatre development by David Hughes
Due to their ongoing fundraising campaign, Reading Rep Theatre has now raised over £500,000 towards the company’s first permanent home in Reading, meaning the new cultural arts hub will open in Spring 2021. The new space will house the multi-award-winning Reading Rep Theatre, led by Founder and Artistic Director Paul Stacey and Executive Director Nick Thompson, and provide the facilities for the company to continue producing critically acclaimed and increasingly ambitious work as Reading’s only year round professional producing theatre, as well as delivering outreach opportunities to those with least access to the arts.
Alongside generous support from trusts, foundations and the public, Reading Rep Theatre is being supported by Arts Council England.
Paul Stacey today said, “We can't wait to open the doors of our new venue for the first time and give the communities we serve the opportunity to experience live theatre again. The Covid-19 pandemic has been monumentally challenging for the arts, but as we emerge from isolation, Reading Rep's mission to contribute to and strengthen the local community will be more urgent than ever. Theatre brings people together in a shared space to tell a collective narrative: these stories will be essential as our community comes together again and I can't wait to share them with our audiences.”
Moving from a basic 60 seat studio, the new Reading Rep Theatre arts hub will include a 168-seat theatre, permanent education and learning centre, backstage areas, new front of house facilities, and a café/bar. The building is being converted from a 1927 Salvation Army building by Total Projects and is designed by David Hughes, the architect of the award-winning Park Theatre.
Fundraising for Reading Rep Theatre is ongoing, for more information and to donate, please visit The Reading Rep Website
Douglas Mayo has had a life long love affair with musical theatre. He has authored several books on publicity and marketing for amateur theatre groups. He is in the process of developing a musical based on his original story concept.
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