A READING theatre has been visited by royalty.
Reading Rep Theatre welcomed The Earl of Wessex to the site, which opened last year.
Paul Stacey, artistic director at the theatre, said today: “It was an honour and a pleasure to welcome His Royal Highness to Reading Rep.
“As a passionate advocate for the performing arts, we were delighted to be able to share some of our work with him and demonstrate the huge potential of Reading Rep and the town’s thriving cultural scene.”
The theatre has recently been shortlisted for The Stage Awards 2022 Theatre Building of the Year award.
Its new space was the result of a two-year fundraising campaign that raised more than £1 million.
Using the money, the team transformed the old Salvation Army building into a cultural hub for the community, complete with theatre bar, auditorium, back of house facilities, rehearsal and studio space.
It was designed by David Hughes and led by Fuse Architects. Since opening in November last year, more than 2,000 people have visited the site.
Reading Rep began when Mr Stacey took a £500 overdraft and invested it in his vision.
To begin with, the theatre company moved into the black box theatre at Reading College.
It has since collaborated with leading regional and London theatres including Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Arcola Theatre and Oxford Playhouse.
In 2015, the company created ENGAGE, a community outreach programme providing access to the arts for Reading’s most vulnerable communities.
It runs a year-round programme of workshops, delivered in partnership with Reading Libraries, Reading Borough Council, the Cultural Education Partnership, the NHS and has reached 15,000 children, young people and adults in the last 18 months.
It will be running Helen Eastman’s Alby The Penguin Saves the World from Wednesday, April 6, until Monday, April 18.
