CAPITAL PROJECT NEWS DEC 15
ACCESS ALL AREAS PLUS TICKETING REVOLUTION NEW LIGHTING FOR PANTO
www.lighthousepoole.co.uk
Clear Vision As our wonderful in-house Christmas show Peter Pan takes to the stage before bigger and more enthusiastic audiences than ever, Lighthouse is in festive mood. Before long ‘next’ year will be ‘this’ year and we’ll be counting down to the transformative phase of our desperately needed refurbishment. So it is with enormous excitement that we are able to reveal the first CGI impression of how the front of the building will look by the time the work finishes next October. Not only does the clear glass front allow people outside to look in, it also represents our vision for the future of Lighthouse looking out into the community as a cornerstone of life in Poole and one of the principal cultural providers to the wider region. The entrance will move to the middle of the front and there’ll be a new lobby creating a more dynamic and welcoming atmosphere for all. We want all our visitors, be they audiences for performance and gallery spaces, customers for the café, conference delegates or any of the much-valued community groups that use our building, to feel immediately at home. That everyone who comes to Lighthouse has the best experience possible is vital for our future. Not only will the building’s refresh enable us to continue attracting world class performers to our stages, we believe it will also create an inspiring and engaging ambience throughout the building that will allow us to increase audience numbers and offer greater opportunities for all to enjoy the arts by investing even more in our artistic and participation programmes. I can hardly wait, but for now I wish us all a very merry Christmas and a happy and creative new year.
Elspeth McBain, Chief Executive, Lighthouse
Connecting Lighthouse to the future A cornerstone of the venue’s planned refurbishment, a complete reboot of Lighthouse is essential to improve its digital capability and make the organisation fit for the 21st century. As far as the public is concerned the upgraded digital presence will be most visible in the shape of a new website and ticket booking operation, as well as cloud computing facilities with wi-fi available throughout the building, digital display panels and improved sound and lighting in performance spaces with a new digital projection capability for the Studio. Behind the scenes there will also be new office systems. “This is not simply about making the business organisation more efficient and effective, but also enhancing artist practice so that we can run digital systems and multi-media content in all our performance spaces,” says Elspeth McBain, Chief Executive of Lighthouse. “We have a leading role to play in defining the region’s cultural personality so the money being spent is about investment not subsidy – it is being invested in the community’s well being by improving access, be that physical access to the building, making it easier to buy tickets, providing better access for artists and audiences, or
removing barriers so people can come here as part of their daily lives.” Led by award winning architects Design Engine, headed by Rod Graham, with project management from the Sweett Group, works include improvements to the foyer and function rooms, the Concert Hall and a significant update of the Studio, as well as a refurbishment of the backstage area, dressing rooms and the introduction of a new Green Room. The work is being completed in two phases and the largely preparatory works in Phase I were carried out during Lighthouse’s annual summer closure this year with the more transformative Phase II running next summer when the building will be closed from 29 May until mid-October. “The refurbishment is concerned with improving sustainability and maintaining Lighthouse as a civic centre, a meeting place and focal point for the community, regardless of whether people watch or participate in the arts,” adds Elspeth. “It’s not about external showiness it’s about improving what’s already here and creating additional facilities to make more of what we have. For instance, as the digital infrastructure is improved we won’t need to print so many things. We are striving to create a building that not only works, but that works as well as it can do and to make it sustainable for the next ten or 15 years.”
LIGHTHOUSE TO GO OUT AND ABOUT
Although the building will close to the public next summer, Lighthouse is planning an exciting programme of innovative theatre in other spaces around the Poole area. The first piece to be announced is Handle With Care, a new production from the Dante or Die and Chloe Moss to run from 26 to 29 May at the Lok’nStore self-storage facility at Fleetsbridge. Co-commissioned by Lighthouse with South Street Reading, Harlow Playhouse, The Lowry, Off Stage Theatre Royal Winchester and Hatfair, it tells the story of one woman and her stuff through a lifetime in storage.
Through an intimately personal, fly-on-the-wall experience, the show studies how we accumulate objects, the meaning that we place on those belongings and how they can give us a sense of home.
Open all hours; open all places
PAN LIGHTS THE WAY
With an innovative 21st century ticketing system on its way, Lighthouse pop-up ticket offices could become a regular sight in Poole and further afield. The organisation’s new web-based computing capabilities, brought about as part of the Capital Works project, will not only enable the new ticketing system to operate when the building closes to the public next summer, but also introduce much greater flexibility into the IT infrastructure. “It will transform the way we operate and means that as far as our audiences are concerned it will be business as usual at Lighthouse next summer,” says Sara St George, Head of Sales and Marketing. “We are looking at a number of key locations in and around Poole where we can run temporary ticket offices next summer. It also means that as well as having a presence at events such as the New Forest Show next summer, for the first time we will also be able to sell tickets. “Research has highlighted the sometimes frustrating experiences of our audiences and we know the limitations of our current system. The upgrading of the entire digital infrastructure, which also includes a fresh and exciting new website, will greatly improve the way we interact with our audiences.
Peter Pan shines even brighter at Lighthouse this Christmas thanks to the new intelligent lighting installed in the Theatre as part of the venue’s on-going refresh. The little boy who wouldn’t grow up is looking better than ever with the new shifting lights and programmable effects, or gobos. “This is the first time that Lighthouse has been able to offer intelligent lighting as part of its own stock – previously it had to be hired in,” says Peter Pan producer Robin Cave. It greatly increases the range of lights and effects that can be created from fewer lamps, all controlled from the new lighting desk. “For the audience it means the controlled shafts of light and range of moving shapes that have become so familiar thanks to shows like Strictly Come Dancing can now be created live on stage,” adds Robin. “The technicians at Lighthouse have been trained how to use the new desk and lights so the greatest beneficiaries as far as performers are concerned will be the Christmas show and the various community shows staged in the Theatre throughout the year.” The Theatre stage has been resurfaced and for the first time this year’s Christmas show will see the band moved from the Orchestra Pit to the side of the auditorium, opening up the forestage as an acting area. ‘It brings the action further downstage and closes that dreadful gap between the actors and the audience,” explains Robin.
Why I Love Lighthouse LORA TOWNSEND (TIGER LILY, PETER PAN)
Although I grew up in the West End I’ve been coming to Poole to visit friends and family for most of my life, long before I came to live here five years ago. I thought it would be nice to do something in my hometown and although I auditioned for other parts this Christmas this was my preferred choice and the one I was most excited about. I really wanted to do something at Lighthouse because I also work here on stage door, as well as ushering and hosting events so to do something in the place where I practically live is amazing. What Lighthouse is setting out to achieve with the homegrown Christmas show and other in-house productions is really important because they add to the magic, especially at this time of year. It’s a family thing, people come to see Christmas shows as a family and if the show is made in-house as a family, like Peter Pan, then hopefully it makes it even more magical for the audience. Lora Townsend, Tiger Lily, Peter Pan
Enhancing the experiences for all Just £400,000 is needed to complete the much-needed refresh of Lighthouse and every donation makes a real difference. That’s the message from Lighthouse stalwart Anita Lintott, who can’t wait to see the changes. “I’ve worked here for more than 27 years now and Lighthouse needs a complete refresh to bring it right up to date,” she says. “Would you believe that some of the backstage facilities here are the same as when the building opened in 1978?” But the improvements will do much more than enhance the experiences of audiences and performers – as vital as that is – they will also make a real difference to the lives of many thousands of local children. “The most important change for me will be that we can give thousands more local children every year the opportunity to learn, rehearse and perform in an amazing, state of the art professional venue,’ says Anita. “We have the funding in place to run amazing outreach projects, but right now the facilities in our building restrict what we can offer these kids. That’s why the refresh is so important.” Learning and participation are at the core of the vision Lighthouse has for the future – helping local children improve their life chances through experiencing and participating in the arts for the first time and encouraging them to develop their talents so they can pursue careers in the arts. “Although we pay for most of our running costs through ticket sales, we simply can’t afford this desperately needed refresh without the generous support of the public,” adds Anita. Visit www.lovelighthouse.co.uk to find out how you can help.
£400k appeal target
Please get involved By making a donation you can play an important part in ensuring Lighthouse remains a world class venue right here in Poole. ONLINE
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LIGH12 £5 to 70070