THE £13 million community, arts and entertainment venue Fareham Live is on course to open in 2024 after a new operator was announced.
Construction is well underway to replace Ferneham Hall, redevelop the civic quarter and regenerate the town centre.
Fareham Borough Council has today confirmed that leading global entertainment company Trafalgar Entertainment (TE) has been awarded the contract to operate the venue, one of 18 under its Trafalgar Theatres division.
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The new venue will feature a larger main auditorium with comfortable seating for around 800 people and a full-height fly tower to support high quality performances.
A secondary performance space, new bar and cafe area, and studio space supporting community groups and organisations will also form part of the new building.
Removable seating will increase capacity in the main hall to around 1,000 allowing for a wide range of performances, functions and live-events to be programmed.
Fareham Live will join the group's other venues, Trafalgar Theatre in London’s West End, the Theatre Royal Sydney in Australia and 13 UK regional theatres including Southend Cliffs Pavilion, The New Theatre, Cardiff, G Live, Wycombe Swan, and the recently acquired Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. TE will also open the ground-breaking Olympia Theatre, the biggest new permanent theatre to open in London since the 1970s.
Executive member for Leisure and Community at Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Sue Walker, said: “I am delighted that Trafalgar Theatres has been selected as the new operator at Fareham Live.
"They bring with them a wealth of experience and they pride themselves in gathering an in-depth understanding of the locations in which they operate, respecting local priorities while delivering innovation and adding value.
"We are really looking forward to working together.”
Dame Rosemary Squire, Joint Co-Founder and CEO of Trafalgar Entertainment added: "We’re absolutely delighted that Fareham Borough Council has awarded Trafalgar Entertainment the contract to operate Fareham Live in this beautiful part of the country.
"We admire the council’s ambitions for the town and look forward to working in partnership.
"It’s going to be an exciting time for the residents of Fareham with a brand-new state-of-the-art venue, enriched arts and culture offering and all the additional benefits that will bring to the local economy."
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