'Landmark' funding award for popular Tyneside venue
New era for historic theatre
A half-million-pound funding boost for the Tyne Theatre & Opera House has been hailed as “a truly landmark moment” in its long, colourful and somewhat chequered history.
The Tyne Theatre & Opera House Preservation Trust has been awarded £522,011 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to progress its plans for the historic Grade I listed theatre, which it owns and operates.
It paves the way for a further application for £5 million to refurbish the theatre’s auditorium and create a second community performance space on the footprint of the adjacent former Westgate Music Hall.
This latest award of so-called phase one development funding is major endorsement of what’s proposed for the theatre, which dates from 1867, and recognition of its status as a nationally significant heritage asset.
With additional funding from the Trust of £220,380 the development stage budget will total £742,391.
Assuming the application for phase two funding is successful, the overall project budget will be about £7.2 million.
According to the Trust, the work will secure the long-term future of a Victorian theatre which is notable for having much of its 19th Century wooden stage machinery still intact.
Its survival into the 21st Century could be seen as a minor miracle when other theatres of its era have long since been demolished.
Its story encompasses changes of use (from theatre to film and back to theatre) and management (professional to amateur and back) along with funding crises and even a potentially devastating fire in the 1980s.
Always, though, there have been people who have loved the building and been determined to see it restored to former glories.
The current masterplan was adopted in 2022 and already some £1.8 million has been spent laying the groundwork for this next major phase of development.
Most recently the theatre gallery was refurbished and re-seated as part of a separate £300,000 project to which the NLHF contributed £250,000 grant with the Trust providing the difference.
This improved comfort, access and sightlines while increasing capacity and reinstating historic decorative features.
The Trust’s stated aim is to create “a heritage theatre for everyone”, enabling it to open during the day as well as during the evening as a “vibrant, inclusive cultural hub”.
The shift has already started to happen, it adds, demonstrated by the creation of community choir Tyne Theatre Voices, the forthcoming Tyne Theatre Show Band, an expanding youth theatre and production company, and a growing corps of volunteers across multiple disciplines
Its programme of community engagement has also expanded rapidly.
Jonathan Higgins, chief executive officer, said: “This is a truly landmark moment in the history of Tyne Theatre & Opera House.
“Over the past few years we have worked tirelessly to stabilise the building, strengthen our organisation and prove what the theatre can be as a living, breathing community asset.
“The support of the Heritage Fund recognises that progress and gives us the platform to go much further.
“We have already made huge strides, from major capital works to the growth of our in-house companies and community programmes.
“The next five years will be both exciting and challenging as we deliver a transformation that secures this extraordinary theatre for future generations and makes it accessible to all for the very first time.”
Philip Bernays, recently appointed chair of the Trust and formerly chief executive of the Theatre Royal, said investment in “a building of national importance” would “ensure that it not only survives but thrives as a centre of creativity, heritage and community life”.
The NLHF’s Helen Featherstone (director, England, North) added: “We are delighted to support Tyne Theatre & Opera House with this initial grant to work towards transforming this much-loved Grade I listed venue.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, this development phase will help progress plans to safeguard the important heritage of this Newcastle icon for future generations.”
Consultant David Wilmore, whose firm Theatresearch has been involved in developing the masterplan since 2019, commented: “We are truly delighted by the news which rewards the hard work that has been put in by the Trust.
“The proposals include the full restoration of the auditorium, the completion of the historic stage machinery restoration and the creation of a second performance space directly connected to the main stage.
“These are truly exciting times!”