RECREATE: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

REDEVELOPMENTS

Over the past six years we have invested significantly in our infrastructure, staff and audiences to secure our future of theatre-making, maintain an outstanding customer experience and, as an organisation which receives no public subsidy, ensure that we best allocate our financial resources whilst finding new streams of income-generation.

Past projects have included a new Box Office and theatre entrance, offices for our team of permanent staff, as well as new dressing room and backstage facilities, renewed public spaces including the bar, summer café and the creation of our highly popular Covered Dining terrace and – for the first time since the 1970s – new auditorium seating.

NEW CHALLENGES

We had an urgent need to replace our kitchens (previously in temporary cabins which reached the end of their life), to improve the existing female visitor toilets, find a more effective pre-theatre seating solution for customers, increase undercover storage facilities, and to create additional rehearsal space to meet the demands of our productions.

RECREATE: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE is our £3million project which will deliver the solutions to these challenges.

THE PROJECT

Kitchens

Built in 1999, the theatre’s previous kitchens were only ever intended as temporary, and they were in urgent need of replacement. An important source of income to the theatre, our in-house catering team produce all the food for our customers on site, as well as event catering for our corporate supporters. Whilst continuing to deliver exceptionally high standards, the team was heavily restricted in the lack of work space and out-dated amenities.

RECREATE: delivered a purpose built kitchen with modern facilities and increased capacity, an integrated barbecue service and additional storage with space-saving initiatives. Developing this operation will enhance the exceptional service standards already delivered.

Rehearsal Space

Whilst the existing Robert Atkins Studio on site is occasionally used for rehearsals, the scale of our productions, as well as the demand on the Studio as a Corporate hospitality room, workshop space and for undercover storage, make it largely impractical. It is also not acoustically sealed, so unusable when there are performances on the theatre stage. As a result, we spend a significant sum each season on hiring external rehearsal space.

RECREATE: provided a new double-height, acoustically sealed studio where we can rehearse all our productions, with an accessible flexible break-out room, tea-room, office and toilets.

As well as providing a first-class facility in which theatre practitioners can create work of excellence, bringing rehearsals on site will nurture working relationships across the venue, and will enable casts to adjust to this unique theatre environment. Outside of our season, it will also offer a much needed rehearsal facility for others in the theatre community.

Learn more about hiring our rehearsal studios.

Additionally, creating this new space will enable us to expand our education programme and increase the number of workshops for younger audiences.

Female Toilets

As audiences have increased, so too has the demand on visitor toilets, often with queues forming at the interval.

RECREATE: re-configured and improved circulation, signage and lighting to ensure facilities are fully utilised, thereby easing congestion.

Landscaping and Seating

Situated within a Grade 1 listed Royal Park, maintenance of the theatre grounds during the season is challenging. Also, the demand for pre-theatre seating on our picnic lawn has increased as those purchasing our catering increases.

RECREATE: will enhance the theatre’s landscape by protecting trees through a new planting scheme. We will also deliver improved access to seating for those purchasing food at the theatre, as well as augmenting pathways and signage for customers.

FUNDING AND TIMING

With the exception of landscaping and seating, building work commenced in September 2017 to ensure the Project's completion ahead of the 2018 season. Work on landscaping and seating will start in September 2018.

We are hugely grateful for the support we have already received for this project from individuals, trusts and foundations.

If you would like to make a donation to RECREATE: please follow the link below.

Donate for recreate