Since 1960, the Criterion has entertained audiences from its base on Berkeley Road South, Earlsdon. In that time, the fabric of the building has not changed to any great extent, with the majority of any renovations typically carried out by volunteers within the theatre.
However, it has long been recognised that our wonderful building needs modernising to prepare it for the next generations of users; not only improve the theatrical experience for audiences and volunteers, but also to become more energy efficient building fit for a greener future.
The biggest barrier to such development has always been how to fund it. The theatre has always been run to serve its community, not one to maximise its profits, which meant large scale redevelopment has, to up to now, remained out of reach. However, thanks to an incredible gift left by one of our founding members - Chris Murly - the generosity of donations over many years, and the prudency of our finance team, we have been able to look at a number of key changes to the theatre.
The redevelopment will begin immediately after the close of the “Springboard Festival 25” on 18th May and be finished in plenty of time for the grand reopening when “The Who’s Tommy” hits the stage in November.
The most obvious change will be the front of the building, with a new modern frontage featuring large format stone texture cladding panels, an illuminated sign and accessible entrance. This will also create more space in the building, and slightly reduce capacity in the car park.
There will be also major changes to the front of house/bar/toilet areas with a number of new features:
- New open entrance extension
- Opening up bar and entrance
- Complete refit and refurbishment
- New fixed banquette seating
- New furniture throughout
- Sympathetic bar refurbishment
- Full toilet refurbishment
- New wall and floor finishes
- Theatrical entrance to auditorium
- Inclusive, flexible design
Managing the temperature within the theatre has always been a challenge. Installing an economical air conditioning system will not only ensure that the building’s temperature is more easily managed, but also help to reduce the carbon footprint.
The next planned stage of development will see the installation of solar panels on the roof to make our energy use even greener, and also to replace the stage lighting with more efficient LED lamps. We will then be looking to the backstage area to provide a more accessible, fit for purpose space for the cast and crew who put on our wonderful productions.
In order to achieve our ambitious plans, we will have to continue to fundraise in a major way. If you would like to contribute at all to our wonderful plans, we would be eternally grateful for any donations (big or small) from individuals, community groups or businesses. We have a JustGiving page which you can donate to by visiting the website at
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/criterionbigbuild