A world-class studio for Berwick The refurbishment of The Henry Travers Studio, The Maltings, Berwick-upon-Tweed

A theatre without a useable studio. No soundproofing, no lights, no seating. A town without a multi-screen cinema. The nearest cinema is over fifty miles away. Berwick currently lacks cultural facilities.

We’re going to change that. With significant funding from the LEADER funding stream are going to transform the Henry Travers Studio to provide a 100+ seat cinema and studio space which can receive touring drama, dance, music and comedy. Our new studio will have a digital projector, lighting rig, black-out curtains, sound-reducing floor, and retractable seating, meaning it can be transformed from a learning space to a cinema in minutes. The images above are of the types of ‘black-box’ space which inspire us.

The vision. The existing space The existing studio was originally built in 1990 as the ‘Main Hall’. It is a simple, open-plan space which is used for classes, workshops, conferences, the Berwick Farmers’ Market and occasionally for live performance. There are currently no performance lighting or black out facilities, the floor is in poor condition, and there are significant noise transference problems into the Main House Theatre below. Additionally, the only access to backstage areas is through the studio itself.

The first step The first step is to create a new corridor linking the front of house with backstage so that performers and staff working in the Main House Theatre do not need to walk through the studio on their way to front of house. This will also provide us with more gallery space. We will also build a ‘sound-lock’ double door to ensure that noise from the box office area does not leak into the studio. The double doors in the new wall are fire escape doors opposite the existing fire escape doors. A new corridor and gallery space.

A new lighting rig and cinema facilities. £50,000 worth of new technical equipment A new lighting system and dimmer racks will be installed, plus black curtains around the walls of the space. A new technical control area will be installed. A new digital projector, speakers, lighting grid, projector screen, house lighting, work lighting. The new studio will be able to function as a cinema as well as a space for live performance. We intend to add around 100 new screenings a year to our film programme in the studio.

Facilities for the twenty-first century The existing sprung wooden floor will be overlaid with special black Harlequin ‘Allegro’ permanent studio flooring. At 8.5mm thick, Harlequin Allegro is the thickest semi-sprung dance & studio flooring available in the world, made by the world’s top studio and dance floor specialist. It will reduce the contact and acoustic noise transference from the studio to the main house and vice versa. It is incredibly hard wearing. New semi-sprung Harlequin flooring. At 8.5mm thick, Harlequin’s Allegro flooring is the thickest semi-sprung dance flooring in the world.

Retractable seating for a flexible space It’s very important that the new space can be used for workshops, classes, meetings and rehearsals, as well as performance. A specially constructed retractable seating unit, seating over sixty patrons, will be installed. This will mean that the studio can convert from a dance class or conference in to a performance space or cinema within minutes. A retractable seating unit.

A perfect performance venue. The flexibility of the studio will mean it can be used for a wide range of performance styles, including more niche performance for which we do not currently have a suitable space. From local bands to folk music, jazz to experimental theatre, studio opera to works-in-progress, this will radically widen, deepen and increase the quantity and quality of our programming.

A new cultural and economic asset.

The Maltings already draws around 2,400 national visitors every year. The new facilities in the studio will put Berwick and The Maltings firmly on the national touring circuit, attracting visitors and artists from all over the UK and Europe.

A sustainable, vibrant new space. £248,906 The additional regional economic impact of the new studio (Shellard Formula). 8,880 Additional attendances predicted at live and film events in the new studio. 192 Additional events annually held in the new studio. 8,900 Attendances predicted at learning events in the new studio.

The new Henry Travers Studio At the heart of the local community, but a sustainable asset for the whole region.