University Secures Playhouse Future
23 April 2009
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Finance Director Hari Punchihewa and Director of Estates Ian Willgoose with the keys to the Playhouse, and in the Box Office (below). Pictures courtesy of Derby Evening Telegraph.
We’ll now be looking to work with partners to ensure that we have a sustainable theatre.
”Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne
The University of Derby can today officially announce that it has secured the future of the Derby Playhouse building in the city.
It has officially signed a contract for a 99-year lease to manage this important city venue for live theatre, safeguarding its future.
Retail property group Westfield own the freehold on the theatre site, Derby City Council the head lease and the University has the sub-lease.
The University now has the keys to the building and work begins in earnest to prepare it for public use, by as soon as October.
Senior executives from the University, representatives from Derby Playhouse Ltd and the administrators, Nottingham-based Tenon, have signed the contract for the University to secure its lease.
The University is committed to working with key players on the regional cultural scene to realise the plans.
The agreement follows months of speculation about the viability of the city’s live theatre venue, after the Playhouse got into financial difficulties last year. The deal involves the University acquiring the lease and the associated assets.
Commenting on the Playhouse agreement, University of Derby Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne said: “This building is an important cultural asset in the city and whilst it has been closed there has been a definite void in Derby’s cultural scene. When it became clear that there was a real risk that the theatre might be lost, we had to act decisively to secure its future.
“The University is part of the community and has a strong academic background in culture and the arts. We’ll now be looking to work with partners to ensure that we have a sustainable theatre.”
The Playhouse deal – led for the University by its Pro Vice-Chancellor and Finance Director Hari Punchihewa – is the latest coup for arts, design and technology courses at the University.
Students and staff are currently enjoying their first full academic year in the £20m Markeaton Street site, opened officially by Virgin Atlantic President Sir Richard Branson in November 2007.
Mr Punchihewa said: “After lengthy negotiations we are delighted to have signed the agreement to transfer the Playhouse lease to us.
“It has been a fairly complicated process because of the complex issues surrounding the trustees and the administrators but we have realised our ambitions and now want to ensure the students, staff and people of Derby benefit from the building as soon as possible.”
It is intended that the theatre will become home to the University’s highly regarded theatre arts programme and will support sound and light technology, events management, fashion and other relevant courses.
It will complement other University artistic and cultural ventures, such as the facilities at its Banks' Mill and Markeaton Street sites, and its active involvement with Derby city centre’s Quad arts centre.
It will become a ‘learning theatre’, with the preparation and staging of live performances used to enhance students’ degree course work, giving them ‘hands on’ experience.
There will be the chance to showcase original works by students as well as hosting amateur and professional productions to provide a varied and stimulating theatre programme.
Details of any proposed programme will be revealed at a later date when the University has had time to work with production partners.
For more information about this news release, contact Deputy Head of Corporate Relations Simon Redfern on 01332 591942 or 07748 920038 or email: s.redfern@derby.ac.uk.
