The main theatre in Reading will benefit from a £2 million upgrade from the government, which will include providing better seats for guests.
The Hexagon in Queens Walk has been the main theatre in the town since it opened in 1977.
Across its nearly 50-year history, it has seen huge musical performances from The Smiths and The Cure, stand-up from Jimmy Carr and other comedians, and seasonal pantomime performances.
Following a successful bid by Reading Borough Council, new seating will be installed, and other upgrades will be made through a £2 million investment.
The council received £2,068,000 from Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport following an announcement made yesterday (Monday, April 13).
Councillor Adele Barnett-Ward, lead councillor for leisure and culture, said: “It's brilliant news, we're so grateful for the Arts Council investment in Reading and support for Reading, the fact that we won that grant is a testament to the arts and cultural offer of the town.
“We're going to provide lovely new seating and upgrade fire doors.
“We have an extended stoppage over the summer, we're going dark longer to accommodate work for the studio theatre.”
The £2 million funding is separate from the £13.7 million project for a studio theatre immediately next door.
Cllr Barnett-Ward (Labour, Thames) explained: “The upgrade means that people who go along to events will be a lot more comfortable in the future.
“The studio theatre is going to be amazing when that opens next year, and we want The Hexagon itself to be upgraded alongside that.
“In customer surveys, people say they love the experience, the facilities, the toilets, but they do not like the seats, so we're fixing that element.
“We're giving people a much more comfortable seating experience, something they've been asking for.
“We're also working on stuff in the background. The floor-level seating has to be manually cleared out the way, it's time-consuming and arduous.
“This process will eventually be automated, it will make the changeover for shows much faster.
“We are punching above our weight for leisure and culture in Reading, and the whole arts and culture scene benefits when there are upgrades to the venues they can use.”
She said this after a meeting where the council's policy committee unanimously approved the project that day, with match funding of £230,500.
The announcement about the successful funding had not been made public at that point.
If the bid had failed, the council would have provided funding of £564,000 for replacing the stall seating.
Announcing the successful bids, Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said: “I want everyone, everywhere to feel a sense of pride about where they come from. Cultural organisations across the South East are important custodians of local identity and play a key role in the story we tell ourselves as a nation.
"Our Arts Everywhere Fund is delivering on our commitment to support cultural assets across the country, increasing access and preserving them for future generations. This is demonstrated by grants announced today that will benefit fourteen culture venues, museums, and library services across the South East.
“Arts and culture are the beating hearts of our communities; they have the power to unite us in the face of division and break down barriers to opportunity. We want to harness the power to help us build a brighter future for the people of the South East.”
Ms Nandy is the Labour MP for Wigan.
Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward is seeking re-election on Thursday, May 7.
Share