Welsh theatre receives £3.9m in lottery funding
The Sherman Cymru Theatre in Cardiff has received a Capital Lottery grant of £3.9m from The Arts Council of Wales for a major redevelopment.
The project, which is being designed by Capita Architecture’s Jonathan Adams - the architect behind the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay - involves the modernisation of the public areas, new seating in both theatres, redevelopment of the foyer areas and the refurbishment of the backstage areas to improve both rehearsal and office space.
The current Sherman building will close its doors for the 18 month refurbishment in January 2010 following Sherman’s 2009 Christmas production of ‘A Christmas Carol’. Sherman Cymru will then move to temporary offices in Cardiff while continuing to produce and tour theatre around the UK, as well as maintaining its Learning and Engagement work.
The Arts Council of Wales’ grant amounts to 74% of the total cost of the redevelopment. Sherman Cymru aims to raise the remaining £1.5 million needed for the scheme from a range of sources and has begun discussions with a variety of potential funders.
Director of Sherman Cymru Chris Ricketts comments: “This is really great news and we’re delighted with Arts Council of Wales’s support. The building work we will be able to do will vastly improve facilities, enhance our profile within the city and really enable us to be more ambitious with the productions we create and the performances we programme.”
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