The Maltings Theatre & Cinema

The Maltings Theatre & Cinema is a performing-arts and film venue in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. It operates as part of The Maltings (Berwick) Trust, a charitable organisation that also manages Maltings Visual Arts and exhibition and residency activity at the Granary and Gymnasium Galleries elsewhere in the town centre. The venue was created in response to a local campaign for a permanent professional arts centre. It was built within the remains of an early nineteenth-century maltings that had been destroyed by fire in 1984. The purpose-built centre opened on 4 April 1990, with the opening performed by Peter Palumbo, then Chairman of Arts Council England. The building was designed by Law & Dunbar-Nasmith and occupies a central hillside position overlooking Berwick's seventeenth-century bridge and the River Tweed estuary. The Maltings combines live performance, cinema, community participation and hospitality. Its principal auditorium, the Main House Theatre, can accommodate up to 314 people. Programming includes touring theatre, opera, dance, music concerts, community productions, cinema screenings and live or recorded broadcasts of theatre, opera and ballet. The venue also presents its own pantomime each December, making that seasonal production a recurring part of its public programme. In total, the organisation presents more than 550 events in a typical year, although the exact programme and volume can vary. A second performance space, the Henry Travers Studio Theatre, is a flexible black-box venue named after the locally born actor Henry Travers. Depending on configuration, it accommodates approximately 60 to 120 people and is used for performances, recitals, workshops, rehearsals, conferences and film screenings. The building also includes a Theatre Bar and Café Bar, workshop areas and offices. Among the organisations associated with its premises is the office of the Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival. The trust's operating model is based primarily on earned income from ticket sales, event promotion and other trading activities. It also receives annual public funding from Northumberland County Council and Arts Council England. This combination of commercial, charitable and public support enables the venue to maintain a broad programme serving local residents, visitors, touring companies, artists and community groups. The Maltings therefore functions not only as a branded entertainment venue but also as a civic cultural institution for Berwick-upon-Tweed and the wider region.

The Maltings Theatre & Cinema developed from a local campaign to establish a permanent professional arts centre in Berwick-upon-Tweed. The selected site incorporated the ruins of an early nineteenth-century maltings, which had been destroyed by fire in 1984. Rather than leaving the site unused, the project converted its historic industrial setting into a purpose-built cultural venue. The new centre was designed by the architectural practice Law & Dunbar-Nasmith. Its location on a hillside in the centre of Berwick gives it views toward the town's seventeenth-century bridge and the River Tweed estuary. The venue opened on 4 April 1990. Peter Palumbo, who was then Chairman of Arts Council England, performed the opening ceremony. Since opening, The Maltings has operated as a multidisciplinary arts venue rather than solely as a theatre or cinema. Its Main House Theatre provides a 314-seat auditorium for mid-scale touring theatre, opera, dance, concerts and other productions. The organisation also produces a pantomime each December and supports local community productions. Cinema activity includes conventional film screenings as well as broadcasts or recordings of performances from the theatre, opera and ballet sectors. The Henry Travers Studio Theatre provides a smaller and more adaptable black-box environment. Named for the actor Henry Travers, it can be configured for audiences of approximately 60 to 120 people. Its uses extend beyond conventional performance to include recitals, workshops, rehearsals, conferences and film screenings. The site also contains a Theatre Bar, Café Bar, workshops and administrative offices, including the main office of the Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival. The venue is run by The Maltings (Berwick) Trust, which also manages Maltings Visual Arts. That wider programme includes exhibitions and artist residencies at the Granary and Gymnasium Galleries in Berwick's town centre. The trust's model combines income from tickets, event promotion and other trading activity with annual funding from Northumberland County Council and Arts Council England. This funding structure reflects the venue's dual role as an earned-income entertainment business and a publicly supported cultural institution. The Maltings presents more than 550 events in a typical year. Its programme brings together touring professional work, cinema, music, seasonal production, community activity and visual arts, giving the organisation a broad cultural remit within Berwick-upon-Tweed and the surrounding region.

• 1990

  The Maltings opens

  [1]The Maltings Theatre & Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The purpose-built theatre and arts centre opened on 4 April 1990 after a local campaign for a permanent professional arts venue. Peter Palumbo, then Chairman of Arts Council England, opened the centre.

• 1984

  Former maltings destroyed by fire

  [1]The Maltings Theatre & Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  An early nineteenth-century maltings on the eventual site of The Maltings was destroyed by fire, leaving the remains available for redevelopment as an arts centre.

A regional cultural hub combining professional touring performances, cinema, community arts, flexible event spaces and visual-arts activity under charitable trust management.

• Theatre auditorium · 1990

  Main House Theatre

  The principal auditorium at The Maltings, with seating for up to 314 people. It hosts mid-scale touring theatre, opera and dance, music concerts, local community productions, the venue's annual December pantomime and selected cinema or performance broadcasts.

• Flexible performance space · 1990

  Henry Travers Studio Theatre

  A black-box studio named after actor Henry Travers. Its flexible layout supports audiences of approximately 60 to 120 and allows the space to be used for performances, recitals, workshops, rehearsals, conferences and film screenings.

• Cinema and event cinema · 1990

  Cinema programme

  The venue's film offer includes regular movie screenings together with live or recorded broadcasts of theatre, opera and ballet. Cinema activity complements the live programme and broadens access to performances that may originate elsewhere.

• Seasonal live production

  Annual pantomime

  A recurring in-house pantomime presented each December. It forms part of The Maltings' seasonal programme alongside touring performances, concerts, cinema and community activity.

• Visual arts programme

  Maltings Visual Arts

  The visual-arts activity managed by The Maltings (Berwick) Trust, including exhibitions and an artist residency programme presented through the Granary and Gymnasium Galleries in Berwick town centre.

1. 1The Maltings Theatre & Cinemaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Maltings Theatre & Cinema official websitemaltingsberwick.co.uk