Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council appointed us to build a 650 seat theatre in a beautiful riverside setting in Shrewsbury. The venue plays host to diverse programme of live performances, from ballet to comedy, live musicals to drama.

There are three principal spaces, which are linked by foyers at ground, first, second and third floor levels. The glazed foyer maintains views through the site to the river.

Further space

A 250 seat studio theatre houses more experimental programmes with cutting edge performances by a range of creative anises. It also offers Shropshires amateur and community based groups a place to perform their work and has the technical facilities to match their aspirations.

Successes

The new theatre replaced the existing Victorian Music Hall. This exciting development sent out a bold cultural statement for Shrewsbury. It continues to develop Shrewsbury as one of the most attractive places to live and work in the UK and will be a major factor in bringing visitors to the town.

As well as the performers receiving rave reviews, the facility itself has attracted nothing but praise from theatre writers and critics.

In its first year of operation, Theatre Severn's income was in excess of £2m with more than 120,000 tickets sold for a wide variety of performances. In fact the first 20 shows were sold out before the Theatre opened, with extra dates having to be arranged.

Sustainable achievements

The theatre was designed and constructed to comply with pan L2 of the Building Regulations. A number of sustainability features, such as rubber flooring, linoleum, lime renders, green oak and recycled materials were incorporated into the design.

"The reaction and support for Theatre Severn in its first year has been astonishing and beyond expectation. Our hope is to continue the diverse programming policy whilst maintaining the highest quality.

"It really has become a venue that both Shrewsbury and Shropshlre can be proud of."

Peter Nicholson, manager Theatre Severn