'Dawn of a new era' for theatre after £16m donation

A theatre that welcomed the likes of Emma Thompson, Tom Hiddleston, and Olivia Coleman will receive £16m to "help creativity blossom".

The need for a wholesale refurbishment at the Cambridge Arts Theatre was raised by Sir Ian McKellen during a tour of his one-man show.

In 1959 the actor, who later played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings franchise, made his acting debut at the St Edward's Passage venue.

It was built in 1936 and was described as being "at the very heart of Cambridge’s rich cultural heritage", by Lord David and Dame Susie Sainsbury, who donated the funds through the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.

Sir Ian McKellen made his debut at the Cambridge Arts Theatre in 1959

The funds will be used to refurbish the current 666-seat auditorium, upgrade audience facilities, improve technical services, sight lines - and acoustic performance.

It also follows the launch of a fundraising campaign to add a 200-seat, fully equipped studio theatre to the roof of the existing building.

Lord Sainsbury said: "The Cambridge Arts Theatre sits at the very heart of Cambridge’s rich cultural heritage, and the careers of many of our finest actors and directors of both stage and screen have started at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.

"We were first alerted to the need for wholesale refurbishment at the theatre by Sir Ian McKellen during the tour of his one-man show.

"He made his own acting debut at Cambridge Arts Theatre in 1959, and we are delighted to make the donation today."

'Generous gift'

The revamp will build on the founding vision of John Maynard Keynes, the renowned economist who funded the original construction of the Cambridge Arts Theatre in the 1930s.

Cambridge Arts Theatre chief executive Dave Murphy said: "Thanks to this extraordinarily generous gift from the Gatsby Foundation, the theatre is now at the dawn of a new era.

"I am very proud of the part I have played in formulating the plans for the new incarnation of the theatre and helping secure this transformational gift to enable the works to begin.

"On behalf of all us at the venue, I want to thank the Gatsby Foundation for their generosity and belief in Cambridge Arts Theatre."