Talbot Village Trust has provided the Shelley Theatre in Boscombe, with £10,000 to build new dressing rooms under the theatre’s main stage.
The Shelley Theatre is rich in history, having been enjoyed by locals for almost 150 years since it first opened in 1870. The venue is now leased to the Shelley Theatre Trust and has since undergone a restoration project to ensure the building is updated to make it a creative space with a fully functional stage area, bar and box office.
More than 10 years on, Talbot Village Trust’s grant has enabled the theatre to begin the next phase of the project and create two new dressing rooms under the main stage. Four new toilets, a shower and a dedicated private space is now also available for production companies to use if they wish.
Zoe Dunne, venue manager, said: “Our objective was to restore Shelley Theatre as a place for the community to participate and be part of. We couldn’t have achieved this without the generosity of Talbot Village Trust. We have already received really positive feedback from performers who say the new changing rooms have a real sense of professionalism.
“We are thrilled that the support we have received has not only immensely benefitted our venue, but also the performers who we work with, as we are now attracting a whole new calibre of shows.”
Russell Lucas-Rowe, Trustee of Talbot Village Trust, added: “When we received the grant application from the Trust, we were immediately struck by the history of the theatre and wanted to help ensure that it would continue to add to people’s lives as a vibrant community resource.
“Culture and the arts is something which we’re proud of in the county and it is brilliant that the community has really pulled together to support the theatre to allow it to transform into the venue it once was.”
Talbot Village Trust meets biannually, and is accepting applications for funding from both previous and new applicants in the area before the Trustees meet in autumn of this year. Please go to www.talbotvillagetrust.org for more information.