Future of Whitley Bay Playhouse is secured in deal.
News Guardian: Thursday 19 March 2009 by DAVID SEDGWICK.
SMG Europe will manage the Playhouse.
AN AGREEMENT has finally been reached which will secure the future of Whitley Bay Playhouse. North Tyneside Council's cabinet has given the go-ahead for an operating agreement with SMG Europe Limited to run the community facility when regeneration work is completed, anticipated to be by the summer.
The move means that meetings with local community arts groups can now go ahead over the next few weeks to ensure they are informed about the new facilities available and the opportunities for community use.
Mayor John Harrison said: "We have secured the future of the Playhouse theatre through the major refurbishment work currently underway.
"Selecting SMG Europe - a major player in the entertainments world - as the operator, will ensure it becomes a vibrant hub for cultural activities that can add to the range of high quality cultural and leisure activities at the coast."
SMG Europe owns and manages the 11,000-seater Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, manages The Journal Tyne Theatre as well as other venues in Europe, including the MEN Arena in Manchester and the Konig-Pilsner Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.
The Playhouse has been closed since August 2007 and an £8m refurbishment programme began in April 2008.
It includes the construction of a new high quality state-of-the-art glass entrance; new and improved front of house facilities including the box office, sales and two bar areas; a new raked auditorium with improved seating area; and improved backstage facilities which include two new chorus rooms.
There will also be fully accessible changing facilities for disabled performers and improved disabled access to the auditorium for customers.
The redevelopment programme is expected to be completed in May and the Playhouse will re-open in Autumn following a period of familiarisation by the new operator.
Once open, the new look theatre will be the fourth regeneration scheme at the seafront, following on from the improved Whitley Park, the skate park on the Links and the revamped leisure pool, now called Waves.