2022: WHAT A YEAR WE’VE HAD!

As we say goodbye to 2022, we're looking back on the past year with a warm fuzzy feeling in our chest. And what a year it's been! We've had visits from superstars, workshops bursting at the seams with creativity, and a jam (first!) packed line-up of shows! In 2022, there has been over 250,000 visitors to our newly renovated theatre, which has welcomed everything from West End Musicals to exhibitions from local artists, and international treasures including Dionne Warwick, Richard E Grant and Gary Barlow.

Let's take a look back on some of our best bits from 2022...

2022 Began with a Visit from the Stars...

Private Lives staring Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge was a hit at the Box Office! This charming Noel Coward classic delighted packed-out audiences in the new Cornwall Playhouse.

                    Photo Credit: Tristram Kenton

We Delivered News of a New Sponsor

DHL joined us as our sponsors for 2022 and their support has enabled us to engage with more young people and reach wider with our message of arts and culture for all.

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

They even featured in our Christmas Show Treasure Island!

A Brontë Classic Blew in from the Moors...

In March, we welcomed Wise Children's Wuthering Heights, based on the novel by Emily Brontë and adapted and directed by Emma Rice. This visually stunning production was supported by National Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, York Theatre Royal Production and funded by the National Lottery.

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Classical Favourites Came To Cornwall...

This year, we hosted a programme of enchanting orchestras and musicians from the classical world.

In May, we were proud to welcome the world's biggest classical music festival BBC Proms to the Cornwall Playhouse for the very first time! This was a groundbreaking moment for our theatre, and for the Duchy, as we brought the home of classical music to Cornwall.

Later in the year, we also welcomed Cornish star Graham Fitkin to our stage with The Fairly Relentless Piano Quartet. Alongside Clare Hammond, Kathryn Stott, and his wife, Ruth Wall, this performance was a hit!

We also hosted the launch of Fitkin's new app, Geography, an interactive musical map of Truro developed in association with Hall for Cornwall as part of our History and Heritage programme.

A Warm Welcome at the Royal Cornwall Show!

In June, we headed to North Cornwall for three days at Royal Cornwall Show. We gave VR tours of the theatre to over 400 people, spoke to thousands of you about our new theatre and even had a visit from some VIPs including the Culture Secretary!

The Launch of Husa...

In July, we welcomed the launch of our new creative industries venture combining co-working space with an artist development programme. It's one of the ways we're nurturing Cornish performance artists and creative industries.

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Husa, which means ‘to enchant and dream’ in Cornish, offers a range of offices and hotdesking space within the building and just a few footsteps from the new Cornwall Playhouse. The project has been funded by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) through the Government’s Local Growth Fund and The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Our tenants include international theatre company Wildworks; Creative UK, the independent network for the UK’s creative industries; educational charity Black Voices Cornwall, and Cornwall Pride, which supports and celebrates Cornwall’s LGBTQ+ community.

Fun at Edinburgh Fringe...

We had so much fun at Edinburgh Fringe festival in September seeing our friends and associate artists 'Owdyado Theatre! They absolutely smashed it at the Fringe with their delightfully twisted show Twisted Tales at The Pleasance.

We’ve had a fantastic time with our friends from Theatre Royal Plymouth this year, and celebrated with Pasties At The Pleasance, showcasing the work made by artists from Devon and Cornwall and their successes this year!

We Won An Award!

We were bowled over when Gorsedh Kernow awarded Hall for Cornwall's Youth Companies a Glenda Hartland Award for 'Miracles and Mysteries', a project that we performed last year inspired by the Ordinalia.

Receiving this award is a huge honour for us, and a nod to the fantastic work that the Get Creative team have been doing, sparking curiosity and developing skills for the next generation of theatre makers in Cornwall. Thank you to all the fabulous freelancers who made this work happen!

Our Deputy Creative Director, Helen Tiplady, was delighted to attend the award ceremony. She said: ‘This award is for all the directors, choreographers and assistant artists who worked on this project. There were 26 of us in total and I’m so proud of the work we all achieved with over 250 young people. Thank you!’

Ope Way Grand Opening

In September, we opened our brand new Ope Way, fondly named after the tiny opening between tightly-packed buildings often found in Cornish fishing and mining communities. The Ope connects our Green Room Cafe on Lemon Quay with our Playhouse Bar on Boscawen St.

Pictured: Councillor Linda Taylor and Taryn Nixon of The Heritage Fund / Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Visitors walk our heritage route through the theatre, encountering behind-the-scenes views of rehearsals or technical sessions, led by QR-enabled brass storypoints which tell the story of City Hall, the historic building which houses Hall for Cornwall. The Ope Way is open to all, without charge, and open most days 11am-4pm.

We've had lots of visitors to our Ope this year, during which they've delighted at our theatre and enjoyed a friendly chat with our volunteer ushers. Of course The Ope Way won’t always be open – some theatre secrets are best kept until showtime!

Gary Barlow Fever...

Did you join in with Barlowmania? We were overrun with devoted fans eager to catch a glimpse of this much-loved superstar!

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Crowds of you gathered on Lemon Quay waiting for his arrival, and some of you even managed to grab a photo of him leaving after the show! The atmosphere throughout this week was electric in our theatre and around Truro. It begs the question... who will be the 'Barlow' of 2023?

The West-End Comes to Cornwall!

We played host to show-stopping productions from the West End and beyond, including...

We Will Rock You, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, SIX and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo!

Photo Credit - SIX: Pamela Raith Photography / Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo: Zoran Jelenic

If you're searching for a West-End fix next year, take a look at our programme for 2023, with smash hits MAMMA MIA!, The Rocky Horror Show and the RSC's Julius Caesar, plus many more...

One Year Since We Re-Opened...

In October, we celebrated one year since we re-opened our doors following our huge transformation!

The grand opening was marked with the world premiere of Fisherman's Friends: The Musical, which proved to be a monumental evening was made even more special by the appearance of our president Sir Tim Rice and Cornwall Council Leader Linda Taylor.

Take a look at this press invite to our grand opening!

Since then, we've played host to magnificent musicals, nail biting dramas, and laugh-out-loud comedy. And to top it all off, Fisherman's Friends: The Musical returns to us in 2023 with a brand-new take on the original show!

We Opened the UK Tour of Two Spectacular New Shows!

Later in October, we welcomed the sensational South African Road Trip after a long journey from Cape Town, with heartwarming tales of their lives, told through music.

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

In November, we opened the UK tour of White Christmas. This star-studded show came to Hall for Cornwall with all the shimmer and sparkle of Hollywood! Thank you for bringing us plenty of joy and festivity just in time for Christmas...

                    Photo Credit: Jono Symonds

Festive Friday!

What a blast we had at Festive Friday, Truro's annual Christmas light switch on!

We spent the evening on a pop-up stage on Boscowan Street, where our Youth Theatre and Dance Companies took to the stage, followed by an appearance by Kernow's loveable Edward Rowe and the cast of Treasure Island!

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Congratulations to Truro BID and all who made this special event happen.

When Our Pirates Met Some Real Pirates...

As the opening night of Treasure Island swiftly approached, we sailed to the Mennaye Field in Penzance to wave on the mighty Cornish Pirates and spread some Treasure Island joy.

While Kernow King and his merry band roused the crowd, the Pirates took care of the rest, beating Ampthill 27-18! Congratulations to the team, and thank you for having us.

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Get Creative's Best Bits!

This year, we were proud to be a part of a whole host of performances, exhibitions and workshops that provided a meeting place for creative souls in our local community. We're overjoyed to have seen so many stunning showcases from our All Boys Dance, Musical Mondays, Youth Theatre and Youth Dance groups, s well as a spectacular performance from one of our associate artists.

Let's take a look back at our favourite memories from this year...

Our six Youth Dance companies joined together at Falmouth University's AMATA to perform their end-of-term sharing for their loved ones - some of whom have never performed in front of an audience before!

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings.

This photo from a performance by Youth Dance and All Boys Dance shows participants aged between 4 to 17 taking to the stage, delighting family and friends with their captivating performance.

We're incredibly proud of our dancers and how hard they've worked in 2023. Our Get Creative team run 12 youth companies for Hall for Cornwall, and with no auditions, we're open to all. Whichever group you choose, we celebrate the power of the arts in our young people from 4-18, nurturing talent and having a great time while we're at it!

Associate Artists and Creative Friends...

Get Creative also support a network of Associate Artists at various points in their careers by offering funding and advice.

In November, Cornwall Playhouse Productions presented the world premiere of Carleen Anderson's landmark work MELIOR Opus Griot in the Cornwall Playhouse.

Her pioneering show blended musical influences from her childhood and later life, with visual elements that told the story of her lifelong connection to the ocean. As one of our associate artists and Cultural Ambassador for Hall for Cornwall, she brought together world class musicians with young Cornish performers in this unmissable futuristic opera.

Hair and make-up students from Cornwall College St Austell styled the 40 strong performance team to create underwater hairstyles and mermaid make up, adding to the sense of occasion and theatricality for the performers.

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Featuring dancers from our Youth Group and emerging artists alike, the piece took an inclusive approach. A community choir built from students, early career singers and retired performers sung alongside international stars China Moses and Terri Walker, as well as the staggering vocal range of Carleen herself, who took time and care to offer each singer tips and tuition through rehearsals.

HFC youth dance companies (including all of our younger performers with other needs ranging from autism, Down Syndrome and hearing loss) were supported to take part. Our group choreographers took to the stage with the youngsters to give them a little extra confidence as they performed mastered movements and sequences with a helping hand to guide.

Emergent Ensemble

We were also proud to see the completion of our friends Prodigal UPG's creative work On the Strandline, performed by the Emergent Ensemble – a group of five early career performers brought together in the time of Covid to survive the industry lockdown.

Royal Shakespeare Connections

In an exciting collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Nation's Comedy of Errors came to our stage in April.

                    Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

Our Get Creative team also delivered a series of workshops as part of RSC's 37 Plays. In collaboration with their Associate Regional Theatres (of which the Hall for Cornwall is one), 37 Plays is a call to get the nation writing in order to create an ambitious volume of contemporary dramatic works which respond to the world in which we live, and will continue next year!

We also partnered with local teachers and schools to provide a series of RSC workshops , learning the craft of Shakespeare, and all the tools needed to perform his timeless work.

Find out more about Shakespeare Nation's upcoming events and how you can get involved here!

Celebrating Local Artists

In November, we were proud to welcome the Can You See Me Exhibition to our Playhouse Bar. Exploring beautiful stories and pertinent issues impacting the Duchy, this heauntingly beautiful exhibition showcased work from local artists across a range of media, including documentary film, portrait photography, choreography, and visual art.

Led by Melanie Young, the Can You See Me creative team offers a platform for creative curiosity in Cornwall, while exploring a range of voices in the local community.

Our Christmas Show Brought Joy And Cornish Pride! Success!

We brought the year to a close with some festive fun. Treasure Island's piratical production, brought to you by Cornwall Playhouse Productions and Steve Marmion, was a hit with critics and audiences of all ages!

                   Photo Credit: Hugh Hastings

We had coconuts, monkeys, Dua Lipa... Cornish slang, plenty of 'He's Behind You!' and Edward Rowe as Long John Silver (boo!) After months of hard work and dedication from our talented cast, crew, Choreographer Melody Sinclair and Musical Director Richard Healey, plus set designers, costume designers, tech teams and many more, we were delighted to see so many smiling faces leave the auditorium throughout December.

When the reviews started rolling in, we were overcome with pride, as we were hailed 'a masterpiece!' and Cornwall Live said it would make audiences 'proud to live in Cornwall'.

And we can't wait to do it all again next year with Peter Pan!

As We Gear Up For 2023...

We would like to extend a warm and heartfelt thank you and a Happy New Year to our loyal members, trustees, sponsors, donors, funders, and every audience member who has supported us this year. We had 295 shows in 2022, and there's plenty more to come next year!

Whether you're a fan of nail-biting drama, a Shakespeare connoisseur, or your life is moved by music, we're gearing up for our biggest year yet in 2023!