The Stage

Birmingham’s MAC reopens after £15m overhaul

Published Tuesday 9 February 2010 at 16:35 by Natalie Woolman

Birmingham’s Midlands Arts Centre will reopen on May 1 following a £15 million redevelopment project.

As part of the scheme, which was jointly funded by Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council and a fund-raising campaign, the centre’s theatre has been stripped out and fitted with new lighting and sound systems and new seating. Capacity has been increased from 206 to up to 220-300, depending how the seating is arranged.

A performing arts studio for rehearsal and performance has also been added, kitted out with retractable seating for almost 150 people. In another part of the building, a purpose-built art gallery has been created.

Describing the changes to the venue, chief executive Dorothy Wilson said: “The four walls remain, everything else is new.”

She added: “I have been here for a long time and it’s great to be home, even though home looks very different. But it’s very exciting. The spaces are fantastic, I mean the architecture is really great. We’re on the edge of a park, so we’ve got this wonderful sense of openness - double-height, glazed space so the park comes into the centre and the centre spills out into the park, so there’s a real sense of energy.”

During the launch weekend, MAC is staging several workshops and events, including a procession through Birmingham and an exhibition opening by the South Asian arts development agency Sampad, MAC’s long-term resident and partner, which will be launching its 20th anniversary season.

MAC has also commissioned a new piece by Motionhouse Dance Theatre called Cascade, which will show in August.

A spokesman for MAC said the venue would create employment opportunities for up to 180 people, with more over the following year.

Former employees are being informed of jobs as they are advertised and MAC staff who were made redundant in 2008 when the centre closed are guaranteed an interview providing their skills match the requirements of the role, she added.

The concept architects for the expansion and renovation were Branson Coates Architecture and the project architects were Chetwoods, based in Birmingham.