The Stage

Corby Cube to house sister theatre to Royal and Derngate

Published Tuesday 23 February 2010 at 16:50 by Natalie Woolman

Northamptonshire’s newest theatre is due to open in October and will work under the same parent company as the Royal and Derngate in Northampton.

The new venue, which has not been named yet, will be based in the £31 million Corby Cube development and share the building with a library, council offices and the council’s ‘one-stop shop’. The capital cost of the theatre, which will seat around 450 people, is approximately £10 million.

Royal and Derngate, which is run by the Northampton Theatres Trust, is in the process of setting up a parent company that will provide back-office services to both the Royal and Derngate and the new venue. The new site will also be operated by an independent charitable trust that will sit under the parent company.

Royal and Derngate chief executive Martin Sutherland, who will be in charge of all three venues when the Corby site becomes operational, said both the organisations will have independent artistic visions.

He said: “We’ve had to look quite carefully at what our business is as a result of this [process] and it’s really exciting because it is an extension of the work we are doing with young people. But to have a dedicated space in the county which will frankly enrich the lives of the people in Corby is really exciting.”

As well as work with young people, it is hoped that three productions will be produced in-house at Corby every year. Royal and Derngate is currently recruiting a creative director for the new theatre.

The venue’s first production will be its Christmas show. The Corby Cube venue will be supported by Corby Borough Council, Northamptonshire County Council and Arts Council England.