The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre
Encyclopedia
The Maltings Theatre & Cinema, Berwick-upon-Tweed is a theatre
and cinema
located in the historic walled town of Berwick-upon-Tweed
at the northern tip of the county of Northumberland
, England
.
It is operated by The Maltings (Berwick) Trust, a company limited by guarantee
and a registered charity
.
and the River Tweed
estuary.
The building contains:
and Edinburgh
.
Unusually for a main house built in the late 1980s it has a circle and boxes.
In early 2009 the main house was completely refurbished, including the installation of new house lighting and a very large central chandelier with 48 lights over three tiers, imported from the United States
.
Each year there are over 500 events presented in the main house, ranging from mid-scale touring theatre
/opera
/dance
to non-professional local productions to film.
(Clarence the Angel in It's a Wonderful Life
), is a fully equipped black-box studio space used extensively for live performance, workshops, rehearsals, conferencing, and film screenings. It can seat 74 on retractable seating or up to 120 on flexible seating.
.
It was built in the ruins of an early nineteenth-century Maltings, which had been destroyed by fire in 1984. The new theatre was designed by the architectural firm of Law & Dunbar-Nasmith.
The first artistic director
of the theatre was Ron McAllister. In the 1990s and in to the 2000s the theatre had a chequered financial and artistic history as both a presenting and producing house. In 2004 the then artistic director David Ramage left, and the building was run by a caretaker general manager until 2008.
The theatre's council funding was cut in 2007 by some 12%, while at the same time controversy was generated by a short-lived plan to charge Scottish theatre-goers more than their English counterparts.
In October 2008, Dr Miles Gregory, formerly director of the Bristol Shakespeare Festival
and a regional producer for Shakespeare's Globe
Theatre was appointed as chief executive officer
& artistic director
.
By March 2009 the main house, foyer, and Stage Door bar had been comprehensively refurbished, while simultaneously the amount of programming was significantly increased. Ticket sales rose sharply in this period. At that time Gregory signalled a desire for the theatre to present 'world-class performances'.
In July 2010 The Maltings was described as a 'place of real magic' by The Journal Culture Magazine, which noted the success enjoyed by the theatre since its refurbishment.
In November 2010, the theatre announced a record sales year, increasing its non-funded income by 82% in an eighteen month period and doubling the quantity of programming. Due to the increase in film programming, The Maltings also became one of the leading independent cinemas in the north-east, screening over 200 titles a year.
In late 2010 The Maltings changed its trading name from The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre to The Maltings Theatre & Cinema.
In February 2011, The Maltings secured £78,000 in funding from the Leader Coast and Lowlands funding programme to redevelop the Henry Travers Studio into a 'world-class' studio for theatre and cinema. Work was completed on 31 March 2011.
In March 2011, The Maltings was named as one of Arts Council England's new National Portfolio Organisations, securing an uplift in funding from April 2012 of some 270%. This was the fourth highest percentage increase in Arts Council England funding in the country.
Dr Gregory announced on 18 August that he would be standing down from his post at the end of 2011 to pursue opportunities abroad.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and cinema
Cinema
Cinema may refer to:* Film, motion pictures or movies* Filmmaking, the process of making a film* Movie theater, a building in which films are shown* Cinema or Bommalattam, a Tamil film...
located in the historic walled town of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
at the northern tip of the county of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is operated by The Maltings (Berwick) Trust, a company limited by guarantee
Company limited by guarantee
In British and Irish company law, a private company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as...
and a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
.
Architecture
The Maltings complex stands on a hillside in the centre of Berwick-upon-Tweed with views across the 17th century old Berwick BridgeBerwick Bridge
Berwick Bridge, also known as the Old Bridge, spans the River Tweed in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. The current structure is a Grade I listed stone bridge built between 1611 and 1624...
and the River Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
estuary.
The building contains:
- The Main House Theatre
- The Henry Travers Studio Theatre
- The Stage Door Bar
- The Maltings Kitchen restaurant/cafe
- The Cooke Suite: offices of the Berwick Film and Media Arts FestivalBerwick Film and Media Arts FestivalBerwick Film and Media Arts Festival is an annual celebration of the art of film, set in the historic border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed.The festival established in 2005 takes place across the town, with films screening at The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre, and artists’ video installations running...
- A remote studio and office for the area's local radio station, Radio BordersRadio BordersRadio Borders is a radio station broadcasting to the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland from studios in Tweedbank, just outside Galashiels...
The Main House Theatre
The Main House seats 331 and is the largest theatre between NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Unusually for a main house built in the late 1980s it has a circle and boxes.
In early 2009 the main house was completely refurbished, including the installation of new house lighting and a very large central chandelier with 48 lights over three tiers, imported from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Each year there are over 500 events presented in the main house, ranging from mid-scale touring theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
/opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
/dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
to non-professional local productions to film.
The Henry Travers Studio
The Henry Travers Studio, named after local actor Henry TraversHenry Travers
Henry Travers was an English actor. His most memorable role was that of the angel, Clarence, in the 1946 motion picture It's A Wonderful Life.-Early life:...
(Clarence the Angel in It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
), is a fully equipped black-box studio space used extensively for live performance, workshops, rehearsals, conferencing, and film screenings. It can seat 74 on retractable seating or up to 120 on flexible seating.
History
The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre was opened on 4 April 1990 by Peter Palumbo, then chairman of the Arts Council EnglandArts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
.
It was built in the ruins of an early nineteenth-century Maltings, which had been destroyed by fire in 1984. The new theatre was designed by the architectural firm of Law & Dunbar-Nasmith.
The first artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of the theatre was Ron McAllister. In the 1990s and in to the 2000s the theatre had a chequered financial and artistic history as both a presenting and producing house. In 2004 the then artistic director David Ramage left, and the building was run by a caretaker general manager until 2008.
The theatre's council funding was cut in 2007 by some 12%, while at the same time controversy was generated by a short-lived plan to charge Scottish theatre-goers more than their English counterparts.
In October 2008, Dr Miles Gregory, formerly director of the Bristol Shakespeare Festival
Bristol Shakespeare Festival
The Bristol Shakespeare Festival is a professional open air theatre festival founded in 2004 and held annually in the parks and green spaces of the city of Bristol....
and a regional producer for Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...
Theatre was appointed as chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
& artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
.
By March 2009 the main house, foyer, and Stage Door bar had been comprehensively refurbished, while simultaneously the amount of programming was significantly increased. Ticket sales rose sharply in this period. At that time Gregory signalled a desire for the theatre to present 'world-class performances'.
In July 2010 The Maltings was described as a 'place of real magic' by The Journal Culture Magazine, which noted the success enjoyed by the theatre since its refurbishment.
In November 2010, the theatre announced a record sales year, increasing its non-funded income by 82% in an eighteen month period and doubling the quantity of programming. Due to the increase in film programming, The Maltings also became one of the leading independent cinemas in the north-east, screening over 200 titles a year.
In late 2010 The Maltings changed its trading name from The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre to The Maltings Theatre & Cinema.
In February 2011, The Maltings secured £78,000 in funding from the Leader Coast and Lowlands funding programme to redevelop the Henry Travers Studio into a 'world-class' studio for theatre and cinema. Work was completed on 31 March 2011.
In March 2011, The Maltings was named as one of Arts Council England's new National Portfolio Organisations, securing an uplift in funding from April 2012 of some 270%. This was the fourth highest percentage increase in Arts Council England funding in the country.
Dr Gregory announced on 18 August that he would be standing down from his post at the end of 2011 to pursue opportunities abroad.