At last!

We have a new auditorium! There isn’t really much that can be said. As with any project of this size, there is a snagging list of tweaks and changes to be made over the coming days – a lick of paint here, an electrical cable there – but we basically have brand new facility.

Peter Harrison and John Cogzell are coming in later today to get the lounge bar fitted up again and Dave Deeley of Tivoli Glass has already arrived to put back the three glass panels that have been missing for restoration from the lounge for over a year. They were finished some time ago, but I didn’t dare get them brought back until the building work had finished.

The green room has been boarded off from the rest of the building while work continues in that area, and in two weeks that, too, will be returned to us and that will be the end of the current stage of our refurbishment. There remains other work to be done over the next few years as and when money allows, but the most significant part will have been completed.

Which leaves us with this here blog. I have to say that, when I started, the thought was merely to document the refurbishment for members who might be interested and possibly keep it going afterwards if enough people had been bothered to log on. I have been absolutely astonished at the amount of interest there has been – not just from members and local theatregoers but also from a much wider area (even the US!) – and would like to thank all those people who have been in touch to say how interesting and enjoyable they have found these pages over the last nine weeks.

The blog will go into abeyance next week while I have a few days off but I am planning to keep it going with a weekly posting about what has been, or will be, going on down The Playhouse. This will hopefully include little snippets from directors and cast members about productions that are going into rehearsal, showing something of what goes on down here of an evening in areas other than the auditorium.

This theatre owes its existence to the efforts of its members over the last 50 years. Hopefully, we have laid the groundwork for another 50 successful years. Welcome to the new Playhouse!

And now, the end is near...

For those of us who have been living with this project for the last two months, it’s been a fascinating experience throughout, although the last few weeks have perhaps been slightly less exciting than the initial ‘opening up’ phase with all its discoveries. Now, as we enter the final stage (no pun intended), there is a definite buzz in the air – and just a little tension – as everyone realises that the handover deadline is rapidly approaching.

Light fittings are being fixed into place, final touches are being made to the paintwork and the seats are going in. The auditorium looks like a theatre again, albeit a somewhat different animal than it was at the end of April; it feels much more like a genuine playhouse rather than a converted swimming pool. The rear section of seating is finished, minus a few tweaks, and by lunchtime tomorrow, the front section ought also to be completed. Carpet has also been laid in the lounge bar and vestibule and the committee room is next on the list (the entrance to the green room will have to wait until the work in the green room itself has been finished).

A reminder that the box office is open and selling tickets for our summer season of productions. After Theatre Studio presents its end-of-term showcase next week, the Playhouse Company presents Neil Simon’s comedy The Good Doctor from 16 – 19 July. Members of the theatre can attend the opening night of The Good Doctor for FREE on presentation of their membership card – and as there are more members than available seats, I suggest you book now!

The famous five...

Today, after eight weeks, site foreman Craig (second from left) leaves us, along with the rest of the gang that have been responsible for the construction of the new auditorium. The theatre is still a building site for another week and there is still a fair bit still to do – some plastering, some painting, quite a bit of electrics and the installation of the seats - but all the building work has now been completed. These guys have done a really incredible job; I can’t recommend them highly enough and it’ll seem very strange not having them around now after two months. Craig is now off to do a quick stint in Bristol before heading to London to spend a few days on the Odeon Leicester Square ahead of a major film premiere! However, he will be back during the final stages of the green room alterations. And if you’re wondering why the photo is a bit ‘speckled’, that’s all the dust still floating round in the air and being picked up by the flash!

The carpeting of the auditorium is nearly completed – just as well, for on Monday we take delivery of the new seats (which will take two men four days to install). Incidentally, for those of you who have sponsored a seat, you might like to know that your plaques won’t be fitted for a few weeks yet. Fitting nearly 100 small plaques using 6mm screws takes rather a lot of time and with the seats only going in as the last stage of the project – they’ve only actually finished making them this week – this is something that will have to be done when we have a dark week or two, probably early-September. There is also some additional signage that will start to appear over the summer, always our quietest period. Our aim is to have all these aspects completed in time for the autumn season, and there may be other little finishing touches and amendments to be made as we become familiar with the new structure.

The doors are now all in place and just need a lick of paint and the fixing of handles to finish them off. The photo shows one of the new sets of entrance doors on either side of the auditorium that separates it from the new corridor. These doors have been made to match the existing foyer doors (which you can see in the background). The corridor will be light blue, as it is a connecting link from the blue foyer to the predominantly blue lounge bar, with a white ceiling to keep it as bright as possible. The ceilings under the balconies once you enter the auditorium will remain black.

Finally, for those suffering withdrawal symptoms from lack of drama in their lives, Deep End are holding a reading of the enormously popular play ART on 24 June at St Luke’s Church Hall. All are welcome, even those not already members of the company, and it starts at 7.30 pm.

Edging ever closer...

Next week, it will be 12 months since Mary Newman and I arrived at the theatre to find four inches of water in the lounge bar and green room. This was the first of Nature’s attempts to make us reopen the swimming pool and is generally referred to as Flood Minor. Fitting, then, that Robin Shapero confirmed yesterday that he will be here next week to fit the remaining Floodwalls – one airbrick, the vestibule door and the cellar hatch. This means we will be as protected as we possibly can against similar disasters. We’ll be running brief training sessions in how to operate the system in a couple of weeks’ time and will be inviting all those people we feel ought to know how to use them in due course.

On the inside, most of the activity is at low-lying levels. The dressing rooms and corridors have now been finished – painted throughout, plastered where necessary, and completely re-carpeted in a nice warm red. All that remains before the actors can make use of them is a quick running over with the vacuum cleaner.

In the auditorium, doors have been attached to the lighting and sound boxes and all that remains for them to be completed are the installation of the curved glass panes, as the frames are already in position. Underlay has been fixed to the raking while holes have appeared in the smaller set of steps – not through poor workmanship but deliberate design, as these will hold lights to ensure people can safely ascend or descend the rake.

The balconies have now acquired their new appearance and the pool area is completely boarded and painted. Electrical work is still ongoing and Ian Chandler is popping in every night to keep an eye on things. Ian – who should henceforth be known as ‘Our Hero’ – has spent an incredible amount of time down here liasing with contractors, electricians and the architect and I’m not sure what this place would do without him.

In the lounge bar, gripping strips are being laid around the edge of the room in preparation for new carpet while the front of house bar and kitchen are about to receive new vinyl flooring. The lounge, corridor and auditorium will be fitted with the same carpet, as in the photo (left). The flash on the camera makes this look a much brighter red than it actually is - it is very much a claret red - but you get the idea.

No hanging around...

There was a lot of noise emanating from the green room during Monday morning. We’d got used to loud banging (as the actress said to the bishop) in the early stages of the project but of late it’s been much quieter. The cause of the cacophony was the demolition of the green room bar, and a sturdy construction it was too! It now lies in a heap on the floor, awaiting the arrival of a skip to cart it away.

As we suspected, the delivery time for a platform lift is 4-6 weeks, so this won’t be installed at the same time as the rest of the green room work. All the arrangements will be made in advance, however, so that the disabled lift can be fitted quickly and easily in mid- to late-August.

Yesterday, with only two weeks to go until the auditorium reopens, things suddenly seemed to move up a gear. There were more people on site than at any time since the project began, including five contractors, four plumbers, three electricians and two painters – not to mention the arrival of several rolls of underlay and carpet, some of which already appears to have taken up residence in the dressing rooms.

Lyn Morgan dropped by again yesterday and revealed what was, to me at any rate, another new fact. I knew that in the early-1950s, a fire destroyed part of one of the balconies and part of the stage area after the opening performance of a play on a Saturday night. What I didn’t know was that the balconies themselves were then used as dressing ‘rooms’, as this was before the formation of the Theatre & Arts Club and the acquisition of the rest of the complex. Although the theatre remained shut for some considerable time for restoration – far longer, in fact, than the current refurbishment is taking – the play that was being staged at the time of the fire simply moved to Pate’s Grammar School for the rest of the run, without, we believe, missing a single scheduled performance!

More originality...

You can never have enough original features in a listed building. Just when we thought everything was settled, we realised that we had an opportunity to both restore another aspect of the building’s history and give the auditorium a fresh look. It’s long been known that the balconies had balustrades running along most of their length. They never actually went away; they have been visible to anyone working on the balconies as long as anyone can remember. However, they have been obscured from the audience’s view by the red wallpapered panels that ran along the balconies and which held the house lights.

Two of these panels had to be removed for wiring purposes and the balustrades looked so impressive that a decision has been made to reinstate them. They will be cleaned and painted a slightly brighter colour and black panels placed behind them both to enhance their appearance and obscure the equipment stored on the balconies. Incidentally, these balconies were built as viewing platforms from which to watch the swimmers below, and underneath were a series of individual changing cubicles (but we can’t really reinstate those).

The pool storage area is almost completely fireboarded and the new stairs installed allowing access from the rear corridor, which now just needs plastering, painting and doors attached to be finished. The recesses formed around the columns certainly give the corridor a better appearance, not to mention providing a passing place for anyone encountering John Shirley zooming through to the bar! And is that one of the ghosts, peering down into the pool and caught on camera????

Any colour, so long as it's...

The smell of paint lies heavy in the auditorium at present, with plenty of Playhouse Black being liberally applied to the steppings, the orchestra rail and sound and lighting boxes (which now have ceilings). The architectural feature at the rear of the auditorium, however – known variously as ‘the dome’, ‘the bell’ or ‘the curve’ but actually called ‘the hemisphere’ (apparently) – is now white.

Yes, you read that correctly, white. Or, more accurately, Victorian 13, which is the slightly creamy white used in the triangular areas at the top of the red (sorry, Crimson) arches. Having been used to it being black for so many years, it was quite a shock at first, but Ian Chandler informs me that in show conditions it will be washed with a straw-coloured light to reflect into the back rows of the rake. This was a necessary choice to help overcome the house lighting issues associated with the new raked seating. You’ll remember that the house lights used to run along the side panels of the balconies, but now much of the seating is either at or above this level and the ceiling is still a very long way up!

The stairs from the new corridor into the pool storage area are being fitted as I type and columns are also being constructed around the steels at the rear wall of the corridor to add a touch of character and interest to what could have been just a very boring flat tunnel. And speaking of tunnels, the plumbing guys have been in the tunnels again in connection with the raising of the radiators from ground floor level to behind the back row on the new raking. Which reminds me…

Lyn Morgan, one of my predecessors here, popped in on Tuesday to say that she recalls a time when the council (who own the property) used to send guys into the tunnels beneath us to catch rats. He said that it was possible to get all the way to the ABC Cinema (long since replaced by Royscot House next to the Municipal Offices) in The Promenade if you really wanted to, but that it wasn’t very pleasant.

One or two people have asked whether there have been any ghostly goings-on over the last few weeks, as building work can often – if you believe in such things – disturb resident spirits. I have to report that, so far, no one has yet seen, heard, or smelt anything suspicious during the build, although many of us have interesting tales to tell. Lyn says that the lady that has been seen in the balcony – whom I hasten to add everyone regards as friendly and watches over the place - is probably very pleased to have a little house there now to live in (well, not exactly LIVE in...)

Green room alterations approved...

We received confirmation this morning that consent has been granted to our plans for alterations to the green room members’ bar! We’re pressing forward for this to commence as soon as the contractors have finished in the auditorium. The wall facing you in the photograph (left) will be knocked through (with head height matching that of the purple wall) and most of the existing bar area will become part of the overall green room. The new bar will occupy the space adjacent to the snug – the door at top right will still be the door into the bar.

In addition, the current spirit store at the other end of the existing bar will be removed to allow the installation of a platform lift, allowing disabled access into the sunken rehearsal room known to all and sundry as ‘the dungeon’. This will be sited where the settle is in the photo (right) while the existing entrance will remain for the rest of us.

In the auditorium, the other wall to the front of house corridor is almost finished, the underside of the new steel and wooden floor down in the pool is being fireboarded and a new permanent orchestra rail (complete with removable central section) has been installed. Most of what’s left to be done is either cosmetic (plastering and painting), installation (seats and carpet) or electrical. Rumour has it that carpeting may commence this time next week…

Less than one month to go...

Last week, someone asked me what would happen to the acoustics in the auditorium by building up into the dome. Those ‘in the know’ often preferred to sit in old rows M backwards – particularly for musicals – because the sound would travel to the back wall and bounce back off the dome. Well, again, it’s hard to be certain until the auditorium is full of seats and people, but it appears that the acoustics are just as good and possibly better. The guys had the radio playing from the stage yesterday and couldn’t believe how loud it sounded halfway up the new raking because of the bouncing effect.

So what’s happened since Friday? Both sound and lighting booths now have plasterboard walls and the electricians have obviously been around as there are suddenly lots of recesses appearing for plug sockets. The second tier of steps has been built and fixed into position, enabling a gentler ascent of the raking, which is now completely finished right up to the very back.

There are also two small walls built at either end of row F – this is because row E is shorter than row F by two seats and there is effectively no seat in front of F1 and F13 to break a fall onto the floor! I have the feeling these two seats may end up being referred to as ‘the boxes’. One wall of the front of house corridor has been built and you can now appreciate that the height of the raking not only allows the creation of said corridor but also greatly improves head height down in much of the furniture store (the pool).

What you probably most want to see is the view from the top. So here it is – although this was taken at standing head height, not sitting head height, during our get-in and morning cuppa at 7.30 today. Scott is very kindly standing on the stage to give an idea of scale. I’m not sure how well this shot really comes over, as all that wood has the effect of blending together rather than clearly outlining the steps. I suspect once the seats are installed it will have more impact.