Hall for Cornwall reopening after £26m refurbishment

Bosses said the new Cornwall Playhouse auditorium had more than 1,300 seats

Cornwall's main theatre venue is reopening after a major refurbishment.

The work at Truro's Hall for Cornwall, in the 175-year-old Grade II* listed former city hall building, sees a bigger auditorium and other facilities.

The theatre closed in June 2018 for what was supposed to be a two-year refurbishment costing more than £20m.

It has cost £26m and taken three years to complete, partly longer than planned because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The project has taken three years to complete instead of two, with the coronavirus pandemic causing delays

The Hall for Cornwall's old auditorium had 965 seats

The project has seen the building completely gutted to accommodate a new, larger three-tier auditorium - the Cornwall Playhouse - which bosses said should "attract bigger shows".

Bosses said the auditorium has increased from 965 seats to more than 1,300, and there was more public space, bars and cafes on both sides of the building.

A new co-working space called Husa (Cornish for "to create an illusion or dream") would open later in the year to "nurture and support Cornish performance artists and the creative industries", they also said.

A musical about the Fisherman's Friends is due to be the first production on the new stage

A musical about Cornish sea shanty group Fisherman's Friends is due to be the first production to hit the new stage on Wednesday evening.

The hall's operating charity said it was now aiming to attract 300,000 people a year, "adding an estimated £35.6m to Cornwall's economy in the next five years and creating 165 jobs".

Creative director Julian Boast said: "We have squeezed every little bit of space we have to be able to do something new and exciting ... but the new auditorium will be the beating heart of what we do".

Truro City Hall, seen here on the left in this postcard from 1905, is 175 years old and Grade II* listed

Before it became the Hall for Cornwall and the Cornwall Playhouse, Truro's main auditorium was in the City Hall, seen here in 1995

A five-year fundraising campaign has seen more than £26m raised for the venue's transformation, including:

• Arts Council England: £5m

• Cornwall Council: £5.19m

• European Regional Development Fund: £2.1m

• Heritage Lottery Funding: £3.02m

• HM Treasury: £2m

• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership: £2m

• Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund: £2m

• Government Getting Building Fund: £1.5m

• More than £3m from individual philanthropists, national and local trusts, foundations, and community fundraising campaigns