Theatre gives update on £3.5m revamp project

Ipswich Regent Theatre has been closed for several weeks as part of a seven-month refurbishment

A £3.5 million project to refurbish a historic theatre has already seen lots of changes less than a month into the revamp, a spokesperson said.

Ipswich Regent Theatre on St Helen's Street has been offering entertainment since the 1920s and closed at the start of May for seven months of renovations.

In a social media post, a spokesperson for the theatre revealed Art Deco features such as windows and original plasterwork had been uncovered.

Once the works are complete, the theatre will boast larger bar areas and refurbished toilets, and disabled access will be improved.

Builders have been working on both the external and internal areas of the theatre

In its update, the theatre said the main foyer's ceiling had been removed during the first few weeks of improvements.

"You can see much is missing from when the Odeon put in a suspended ceiling," a spokesperson said.

"This really gives you a feeling of the space patrons would have experienced when they first walked in - it's certainly going to have a wow factor when we reopen in December."

The team has removed the ceiling in parts of the building, revealing the original plasterwork as well as the lighting

As well as this, the canopy's underside has been revealed to show where the theatre's original lighting would have been.

In the theatre's circle lounge, the team also exposed two original windows that had been boarded up while the existing toilets were stripped out.

"Some of you have asked if we're going to be doing a time capsule - and the answer is yes," the theatre spokesperson added in their post.

"We'll let you know what will be going inside it soon and also where it will be buried, in the meantime we hope you enjoy seeing the latest development."

Ipswich Regent Theatre has been entertaining audiences since the 1920s