Documentary to tell theatre site's 130-year story

A documentary detailing the life of The Seagull Theatre's history is in the works

A new documentary is set to highlight a theatre's life from its beginning as a Victorian school to its modern site.

The seven-part series on The Seagull theatre in Lowestoft, Suffolk traces the life of the people and building since 1894 to the present day.

Producers are appealing for anyone with links to the theatre to get in touch for interviews in August.

Founder of the Theatre Centre and The Seagull theatre, Patrick Redsell, said he was "proud to be part of the story".

"To take part in a documentary more than half a century later, recording what happened and how things developed, is a remarkable tribute to everyone who helped make the Seagull a success," he said.

He added that founding the theatre "was quite a moment" and he felt "privileged to begin and lead the project".

The documentary has been funded by the Heritage Lottery and has been titled The School that Grew Wings.

John Hales is directing the documentary and said it would chart the life of the building.

People with connections to The Seagull are being asked to get in touch with documentary producers

It opened in 1895 as a junior day school called The Morton Road School and remained this way until World War Two, before it sat closed until the 1960s.

The county council converted it into an arts centre and it became The Seagull Theatre but, in 2006, funding was withdrawn and the building was boarded up.

The Save our Seagull group was formed to save the building and even saw patrons including Dame Judi Dench pledge to support the campaign.

Once reopened in February 2009, the theatre said it had "re-established itself as an important arts venue, offering a range of shows, classes and workshops".

Researcher and booker Angela Freakley said it had been a pleasure to investigate the lives linked to the site.

"It really is amazing to think of all the different things and lives that have been part of the building," she said.

The documentary team is asking anyone involved in the building throughout any part of its life to get in touch via [e-mail] to share their stories.

"We want to see everything, so please don’t think what you have is probably not important," Ms Freakley added.