The Stage

£8m plan to turn seaside chapel into ‘landmark’ theatre

Published Tuesday 23 March 2010 at 15:10 by Natalie Woolman

A Grade I-listed former chapel in Great Yarmouth is to be converted into a performance venue, under £8 million redevelopment plans submitted to the local council.

St George’s Chapel, which was built in 1714 and designed by John Price, is to be transformed into a new space for professional and amateur performances and cultural community use.

A planning application has been submitted to Great Yarmouth Borough Council for the building, which was de-consecrated in 1959 and which had been used as a theatre for more than 20 years until 2006, when structural decay forced it to close.

If permission is forthcoming, it is hoped that the project will be completed by spring 2012, with construction work starting this autumn.

The council has led the conversion project and has secured funding from a number of sources, including £3 million from the government’s Sea Change initiative, a three-year programme aimed at stimulating regeneration in seaside towns through cultural investment. More than £2 million of the total budget will be used to change roads and traffic flow around the venue.

Chief executive of Norwich Theatre Royal and chairman of the St George’s Trust Peter Wilson said: “It’s absolutely extraordinary. It is going to be a landmark building in the most unexpected town in Great Britain.”

Wilson, who is also a West End producer whose current shows include An Inspector Calls, added: “I would just say as a professional producer, I think this is one of the most challenging small theatres, in a good way, that I know of and I am looking forward to perhaps bringing some productions to it.”

The new theatre space will facilitate a number of stage configurations, seating around 300 people or 400 standing. A pavilion will be built outside the venue to house a bar and front of house and ticketing facilities. An outdoor performance area will also be created.

Project design is being led by Hopkins Architects working with English Heritage and theatre consultancy Charcoalblue.