We’re Raising the Roof in 2019…
13/01/19 11:41 Filed in: HfCHall for Cornwall
As we look towards 2019 and celebrate our 21st year with an exciting transformation, it seems a good time to reflect back on some highlights of the last six months and critical achievements since the closure of our building in June.
The first few weeks saw HFC staff packing up furnishings and technical equipment to go into storage so the keys could be formally handed over to Kier. We loaned or relocated some of our equipment to the community; our treasured Steinway piano found sanctuary at St Mary’s Church in Penzance, some of the rehearsal floorings are being used by associate dance company James Wilton, and original auditorium seating is being used across Cornwall.
The formal handing over of the keys by one of our young HFC performers to contractors, Kier, at the end of September marked a key milestone in our redevelopment. Next came 21st birthday celebrations in November, a coming-of-age celebration that toasted the future with unique performances from our Youth Theatre and Dance Groups.
The Arts Development team remains busy supporting schools, resident companies and associate artists in the community. A co-production with o-region and Palores Productions in November brought new audiences to the historic miners’ chapel in St Just; artist-led projects were supported via our flagship programme, Creation Space, including digital sound artist Justin Wiggan and Prodigal UPG, a parkour performance company.
Autumn also saw us piloting a Stage to Screen season with an exclusive partnership with Truro Plaza Cinema, which brought leading West End theatre practitioners in person to Truro. Award-winning director Michael Grandage discussed his Tony Award-winning play RED before its screening. The leading West End Executive producer and General Manager Jo Benjamin shared bringing The King and I to the London Palladium and gave sound theatre career advice to the school children in the audience.
We continue championing our young people with weekly Youth Theatre and Dance companies. This year, they have participated in projects across the county and beyond, from Danny Boyle’s national event Pages of the Sea, marking 100 years since the end of the First World War, to a unique performance at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Congratulations to 17-year-old Ned Ratcliffe, a member of our HFC Youth Dance since age 9, who has recently been awarded a place at the National Youth Dance Company. One of the growing numbers of HFC alums is gaining positions at nationally renowned dance and drama schools.
So what of our redevelopment?
Those who follow our social media updates will have seen dramatic changes inside the building. Our time-lapse cameras are capturing it all. This first phase has been all about demolition. Kier has stripped the auditorium's interior, removing the seating, the lighting rigs and the balconies. Other works include removing the fixtures and fittings in the bar area, the dressing rooms, the Boscawen foyer and the Back Quay. This has resulted in some great finds – including the discovery of beautiful original Cornish stonework along the back wall behind the extended bar area.
Kier is working carefully to protect the original granite columns, steps and floors from the impact of the building work and is recycling as much material as possible. Speaking of recycled materials….at the end of last year, Falmouth’s National Maritime Museum offered us wood from a replica Bronze Age boat built five years ago using traditional tools. We were delighted to accept, and some of the Cornish oak planks will now have a new lease of life in our new building.
Redevelopment is now moving into the construction phase. Our new three-tiered auditorium will have 300 extra seats, allowing larger-scale shows to premiere for the first time in Cornwall. To achieve this, we need to - quite literally - raise the roof, elevating it by 2.5 metres to accommodate an extra tier of seating. Kier is constructing a temporary weatherproof roof to remove the current top so new columns, rafters and supporting beams can be erected to increase the height. The roof will then be replaced.
As we prepare to open our new theatre, 2019 looks to be a hectic year. The project remained on schedule to reopen in Autumn 2020, and we are currently working on putting together our first season to welcome people back to our new home.
As I watch the progress of our redevelopment and the most significant transformation in our history – I am genuinely excited that the future will allow us to open up the power of performance to more people than ever and give Cornwall the new theatre it deserves. We’re creating a new kind of public space in the heart of our county: a place where all are welcome, where everyone can see the work they crave, where Cornwall’s creative talent can break new ground and where our next generation can be supported. It’s going to be an exciting new year.
The formal handing over of the keys by one of our young HFC performers to contractors, Kier, at the end of September marked a key milestone in our redevelopment. Next came 21st birthday celebrations in November, a coming-of-age celebration that toasted the future with unique performances from our Youth Theatre and Dance Groups.
The Arts Development team remains busy supporting schools, resident companies and associate artists in the community. A co-production with o-region and Palores Productions in November brought new audiences to the historic miners’ chapel in St Just; artist-led projects were supported via our flagship programme, Creation Space, including digital sound artist Justin Wiggan and Prodigal UPG, a parkour performance company.
Autumn also saw us piloting a Stage to Screen season with an exclusive partnership with Truro Plaza Cinema, which brought leading West End theatre practitioners in person to Truro. Award-winning director Michael Grandage discussed his Tony Award-winning play RED before its screening. The leading West End Executive producer and General Manager Jo Benjamin shared bringing The King and I to the London Palladium and gave sound theatre career advice to the school children in the audience.
We continue championing our young people with weekly Youth Theatre and Dance companies. This year, they have participated in projects across the county and beyond, from Danny Boyle’s national event Pages of the Sea, marking 100 years since the end of the First World War, to a unique performance at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Congratulations to 17-year-old Ned Ratcliffe, a member of our HFC Youth Dance since age 9, who has recently been awarded a place at the National Youth Dance Company. One of the growing numbers of HFC alums is gaining positions at nationally renowned dance and drama schools.
So what of our redevelopment?
Those who follow our social media updates will have seen dramatic changes inside the building. Our time-lapse cameras are capturing it all. This first phase has been all about demolition. Kier has stripped the auditorium's interior, removing the seating, the lighting rigs and the balconies. Other works include removing the fixtures and fittings in the bar area, the dressing rooms, the Boscawen foyer and the Back Quay. This has resulted in some great finds – including the discovery of beautiful original Cornish stonework along the back wall behind the extended bar area.
Kier is working carefully to protect the original granite columns, steps and floors from the impact of the building work and is recycling as much material as possible. Speaking of recycled materials….at the end of last year, Falmouth’s National Maritime Museum offered us wood from a replica Bronze Age boat built five years ago using traditional tools. We were delighted to accept, and some of the Cornish oak planks will now have a new lease of life in our new building.
Redevelopment is now moving into the construction phase. Our new three-tiered auditorium will have 300 extra seats, allowing larger-scale shows to premiere for the first time in Cornwall. To achieve this, we need to - quite literally - raise the roof, elevating it by 2.5 metres to accommodate an extra tier of seating. Kier is constructing a temporary weatherproof roof to remove the current top so new columns, rafters and supporting beams can be erected to increase the height. The roof will then be replaced.
As we prepare to open our new theatre, 2019 looks to be a hectic year. The project remained on schedule to reopen in Autumn 2020, and we are currently working on putting together our first season to welcome people back to our new home.
As I watch the progress of our redevelopment and the most significant transformation in our history – I am genuinely excited that the future will allow us to open up the power of performance to more people than ever and give Cornwall the new theatre it deserves. We’re creating a new kind of public space in the heart of our county: a place where all are welcome, where everyone can see the work they crave, where Cornwall’s creative talent can break new ground and where our next generation can be supported. It’s going to be an exciting new year.