18 September 2008

It’s Hip to be ROUND: Dukes Launches New Performance Space

With an exciting new season of diverse performances announced, Lancaster’s Dukes is well on the way to fulfilling its aim to become a unique producing theatre and cultural centre for the region. And the venue’s ambitious plans take a major step forward this month with the launch of a brand new performance space – The Round.

Both Arts Council England and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) have stepped forward to support the Moor Lane venue’s scheme to redevelop the existing studio to provide a new performance space for a wide range of productions and events. Funds totalling £336,000 were secured to make the renovations a possibility.

The Dukes’ Director, Joe Sumsion said, ‘We’ve had builders, painters and technicians on site for some months now. It’s been quite messy, as there have been old walls coming down and new ones going up, plush new seating arriving and a whole reconfiguration of the space. We’ve used a lot of our own local talent to help redesign and redecorate and the results are astounding. It’s now time for The Round to emerge from the rubble and show itself off as the great performance space it is. The experience of coming to see a production in The Round will have a focus on quality, with a new entrance on Moor Lane, a new reception area and a true in-the-round theatre space. With just 230 seats, it is perfect for more intimate theatre performances, live music and dance.’

Last year, locals feared for the future of the Dukes when a portion of its Arts Council funding was cut, but the Dukes team stepped up the challenge and pushed the company on. With continued support from Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council, they devised a long-term strategy, which involved reconfiguring the existing studio space and providing crucial sound separation between the larger main performance area and the second space. An essential part of the remodelling involved an enormous wall of sound-proofing which now means that two performances can run simultaneously.

‘The addition of The Round is intrinsically linked to the new programme. With the two main spaces able to operate simultaneously, we will be able to plan a truly diverse range of work, with our in house productions, great visiting theatre and the best emerging local artists.  We want to showcase the Cream of Lancashire’s talent alongside the ‘best of the rest’ – so this autumn local musicians, dancers and theatre-makers share our spaces with Courtney Pine, Northern Broadsides and an international film programme,’ Sumsion added. He went on to say: ‘It’s going to be a brilliant space to create performances for.  There’s something intangible about why the space is so good – but everyone we’ve shown The Round to, from young musicians to experienced professional writers and actors working on our next production, The Bomb, have felt the same thing – the buzz of a genuinely great space waiting to be brought alive. We’re sure that audiences will appreciate the unique qualities of The Round, just as they do in Manchester at the Royal Exchange and in London at The Globe.’

Ian Tabbron, Head of Theatre Arts Council England, North West said of the new development: 'We are delighted to partner the regional development agency in investing in such an exciting new space for the arts. The talented team at the Dukes will ensure The Round offers performers and participants alike fantastic opportunities to make work in Lancaster that is entirely fresh and relevant. The technical facilities are excellent but additionally the building can now offer artists and customers standards of comfort they have the right to expect. We can look forward to being entertained, engaged and sometimes challenged by what will happen next, so people should make a visit to find out what all the fuss is really about.’

James Berresford, Director of Tourism at the NWDA, said: ‘The opening of The Round marks an exciting new era for the Dukes. The development will enhance the appeal and distinctiveness of Lancaster’s cultural offer and attract new audiences to the city and to the theatre. The NWDA is delighted to have been able to support this initiative, which will help position the Dukes as a vibrant centre for creativity in the region.’

The first major production planned for The Round is Kevin Dyer’s play, The Bomb. This inspirational story is based on the relationship and the first meeting between Jo Berry, whose politician father was killed in the 1984 IRA Brighton Bombing and Patrick Magee, the man who planted the bomb. Directed by Sumsion, the play opens in The Round on 9th October and runs there until 25th October, after which it will go on national tour.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor:

• For further information, interviews, photo opportunities or to arrange a tour of the new facility, please contact one of the following:

Julie Brown (Press Officer)  
Tel:  07931 928803
Email: press@dukes-lancaster.org

Maria Major (Marketing Manager)
Tel: 01524 598509
Email: mmajor@dukes-lancaster.org

Gary Smith (Marketing Assistant)
Tel: 01524 598508
Email: marketing@dukes-lancaster.org

• The funding for The Round is made up as follows:
o The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA): £237,000
o Arts Council England (North West): £99,000

• The Dukes receives regular funding from Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council.

• The Dukes management team and Board of Directors worked in conjunction with Lancaster City Council Officers, the Lancaster City Council Economic Regeneration Team and the Lancaster and Morecambe Vision Board to develop the successful funding bids.

• The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is responsible for the sustainable economic development and regeneration of England’s Northwest and has five key priorities: Business, Skills and Education, People and Jobs, Infrastructure and Quality of Life.
For further information visit:
www.nwda.co.uk
www.enlandsnorthwest.com