Theatre enjoys European windfall

The Newcastle Playhouse is home to Northern Stage

Plans to turn a Tyneside theatre into a leading cultural centre have received a massive £1.8m European funding boost.

Facilities at the Newcastle Playhouse will be updated to create the European Centre for the Performing Arts.

Work on the £8m project gets underway next month and is expected to be completed in autumn 2005.

It will include a new auditorium with state-of-the art technical facilities, including lighting, sound and backstage communications systems.

Along with the European Regional Development Fund grant, the project will be supported by £3m from Arts Council England, £2m from Newcastle City Council and almost £500,000 from voluntary organisations and trusts.

Fantastic news

Bosses hope the centre will attract the best in theatre from the UK, Europe and beyond while continuing to provide a home for the resident Northern Stage ensemble.

John Rundle, from the Government Office for the North East, said: "The current facilities which make up the Playhouse and Gulbenkian Studio are becoming outdated and by replacing these with a new auditorium we hope to attract even more visitors into the area to participate in theatre.

"This project is just one part of exciting plans to create a cultural centre in the heart of Newcastle.

"In years to come, the area around Haymarket in addition to the regeneration of Gateshead Quays will further strengthen Newcastle-Gateshead's name as a world class cultural venue."

Northern Stage chief executive Alan Lyddiard said the European grant was fantastic news for the centre.

"It will be a place where the local meets the international and where people from the region can participate in a variety of projects, enriching the cultural life of the north east."