Reading Hexagon: Council submits £13.7m theatre upgrade plans

The planned upgrade includes a new extension and entrance

A £13.7m plan to upgrade a theatre has been submitted for approval.

Reading Borough Council's plan to update Reading's The Hexagon will see unused areas demolished and an extension built to house a new 300-capacity auditorium and practice space.

The scheme, which will be paid for from the £19.1m the council received from the government's Levelling Up fund, was first revealed in 2023.

If approved, the council said work on the project could begin in August.

The Hexagon will offer its usual mix of comedy, theatre, music and ballet while work is carried out

Built in 1977, the Hexagon is Reading's largest arts venue and famous for hosting snooker tournaments, but has struggled to be sufficiently modernised because of its age and condition.

The Hexagon will remain open during the building of the extension, which was originally referred to as the "Hexbox" before that name was dropped in the planning application, and will offer its usual mix of comedy, theatre, music and ballet.

The scheme falls into the wider transformation of the area known as the Minster Quarter, in which the council plans to build 618 new homes.

The quarter covers Broad Street Mall and the public space between the mall, Reading Magistrates Court and the Thames Valley Police headquarters in Castle Street.