Theatre Royal welcomes audiences to The Green Room
Where the wallpaper tells many a tale
The drama extends beyond the stage at Newcastle Theatre Royal as audiences will discover this week when the curtain rises on The Green Room, alive with puzzles and surprises.
They’re the work of bespoke wallpaper designer Beth Travers, who first visited the theatre as an enthralled 10-year-old little knowing the role she would one day have to play.
Taking its name from performers’ restrooms, traditionally known as ‘green rooms’, the new-look bar occupies the Market Street space formerly known as DatBar.
Lavishly refurbished, it opens first to audience members before welcoming all-comers on September 5.
Siobhan Lightfoot, Theatre Royal director of operations, said the space had returned ‘in house’ just over a year ago after being leased out.
“As a charity we have to find ways to diversify our income in order to ensure resilience,” she said.
“Our vision is that we’re a space for everyone and everyone is welcome.
“This foray into hospitality is an opportunity to open our doors to people who might not be coming to see a show but can still enjoy what we have to offer.
“You can see there’s a nod to the theatre’s heritage with a lot of our history woven into the design.
“Whether you’re in for a show or just a coffee, you can still play a part in ensuring the theatre’s future.”
Newcastle-based MawsonKerr Architects, experienced with listed buildings, were commissioned for the refurbishment, as they had been for 100 Grey Street, the café and wine bar which opened in December in the theatre’s old box office.
Again they collaborated with interior designers Design North whose Charlotte Allan explained the brief – “to create a multi-functional space, welcoming to all and able to transition from daytime to evening use.
“Previously it was quite dark and red and seemed quite small but we wanted to open it up and give a calming atmosphere.
“We picked a light colour palette but incorporated elements of luxury, such as rich fabrics and elements of brass, to link it with the auditorium.
“By combining fixed and loose seating, we’ve made the space flexible so they can do anything with it really.”
Architect Imogen McIntyre, of MawsonKerr, said: “We could see the space had been quite battered and needed a bit of love. It’s a listed property so there was a process we had to follow.
“On the whole, the space is as it was, although we removed a partition that was quite a recent addition and also moved a staircase.”
One end, boasting a grand piano, can be screened off for special events. Siobhan Lightfoot said discussions were taking place about a future food offer.
But whether drinking, dining or just chilling, a conversation point is going to be the wallpaper reflecting the theatre’s fascinating history.
That’s what Beth Travers was delighted to provide.
“The Theatre Royal is so iconic for Newcastle and the North East,” she said.
“I first came on a school trip to see the panto and could never have expected that one day I’d be designing something for the building.”
Beth, from Sunderland, got into wallpaper design at university in Huddersfield. She set up her now award-winning design studio, BOBO1325, eight years ago after a dispiriting London job interview.
“The women who interviewed me basically said, ‘You’ll never be a designer because you’re in the North. Your work’s good but you don’t look like a designer.’
“I’d planned a London weekend but got the first train out. Years later I saw those women at a design show. They didn’t remember me but came to my stand and said they loved my work.”
Beth now lives in Appleby and divides her time between Manchester and the North East where much of her work lies.
Given the Theatre Royal brief, she went to see Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, on stage earlier this year, and immersed herself in the archives.
She said: “I wanted to know the obscure and fun history that isn’t so widely known. I wanted to do something escapist that would tell the story of this incredible space.”
Against a landscape backdrop inspired by Jean Zuber, a leading French designer of the early 19th Century, she set her teasing creations.
Along with Swan Lake dancers, spot the gymnast who once dangled from a hot air balloon to publicise her show and the clown who rode in a washtub pulled by geese.
Look for references to Macbeth - or as the superstitious would call it, the ‘Scottish play’ - which was on when the Theatre Royal caught fire, necessitating a rebuild by renowned theatre designer Frank Matcham.
Included for customers to puzzle over are apple trees and daffodils, masked animals and pickpockets. You might even spot Beth’s face – because she couldn’t resist.
“I didn’t want to do anything typical or kitsch and it was quite an intense process,” said Beth.
“I always give 100% to everything and it became a mental game: how does this link with this?
“But I’ve done the best I can and I’m really proud with how it’s turned out.”
The first people to gain access to The Green Room - the first of many - will be seeing The Book of Morman which is returning to the Theatre Royal from July 22 until August 9. The musical, with laughter guaranteed, is back by popular demand after a gap of just three years.