'Fringe-style' theatre for grassroot groups approved

A new "fringe-style" theatre for grassroot groups to stage shows has been given the go-ahead.

Theatre Royal Bath has received planning permission to build a community studio theatre called Venue 4 in St John's Place.

Theatre leaders will now launch a fundraising campaign to raise enough money to make the 40-seat studio a reality.

Danny Moar, the theatre's director, said: "This project is about opening doors to a new community theatre for Bath, to anyone keen to get started in the world of performance."

It is hoped the new venue will help theatre groups create new shows by offering rehearsal space and a place to perform in front of an audience.

A final blueprint is still being designed, and theatre leaders want anyone who may be interested in using the venue to contact them.

"Theatre Royal Bath is bursting at the seams and our growing work with the community deserves a stage of its own," Mr Moar said.

"This will be a stage where everyone's story can be told."

Katherine Lazare, the theatre's head of community engagement, said they realised there was a lack of "well-resourced, accessible spaces and minimal opportunities for participants to access the theatre industry" after a consultation.

She said theatres "can be life-enhancing and everyone deserves access to a creative space".

"Our plan provides a gateway for progression from amateur to professional theatre-making.

"We aim to provide the space and time needed to get a new show or grassroots project off the ground - to help members of a local community organisation get in a room together and start their theatre journey with professional support and technical equipment - a combination they might otherwise struggle to afford," she added.

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