Newcastle City Hall audiences have topped 115,000 in its first year under the management of Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust, and it will have received nearly a million pounds in investment by September 2017.
Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust, an independent charity, took over the management of the City Hall in April 2016 last year after region-wide austerity cuts saw it threatened with closure.
Since the merger, the Trust has earmarked a million pounds for improvements to the City Hall building and its facilities. More dressing rooms have already been created to provide better accommodation for the artistes and this summer work will begin on a complete redevelopment of the basement, modernising and expanding the bar and more than doubling the provision of ladies toilets. From September, the number of wheelchair spaces in the auditorium will be doubled and further improvements to access and facilities for disabled people are planned. Plus, thanks to a generous donation from the Catherine Cookson Trust, the venue now has a state of the art sound and lighting rig which has drawn national attention.
As a charity, all investment by the Theatre Royal Trust in both venues comes from its own reserves, including surpluses from ticket sales, corporate sponsorship and support and fundraising activity.
Over the past year, the City Hall has presented 72 public performances alongside a number of private events, with attendances in excess of 115,000. Improvements will soon be very evident at all levels of the customer experience including brand new ladies and gents toilets and quicker service at the bars.
All tickets for City Hall and Theatre Royal shows are available from www.theatreroyal.co.uk, from the Theatre Royal Box office on Grey Street or call 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).