A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare Nation

 

Hall for Cornwall’s Shakespeare Nation Community Company took to the stage once again on Sun 30 April, this time with a groovy 60s-inspired production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Shakespeare Nation Assistant Producer Sam Rankin shares his experience as both assistant producer and performer.

“Once again, another great Shakespeare Nation project has come to an end. Now that the post-show blues have eased off, I find myself thinking about just how wonderful the last three and a half months have been. Working on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both as assistant producer and performer, has been an absolute delight from start to finish.

 

I keep finding myself working on these extraordinary theatre projects, that pull together the most amazing, creative, and genuinely lovely people. Under the direction of Alister & Miranda from Prodigal UPG, each session is an acting masterclass, and you just know the working relationships that are forged in the rehearsal room are going to be lasting ones.

With so many familiar faces returning from last year’s Comedy of Errors, the project this time round was always going to be a whole lot of fun. Things were taken to another level this year with a host of new talent joining the group, making it one of those stand-out rewarding, life-affirming experiences, that end up meaning so much to all involved.

Through dedication, focus and hard graft, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a massive success – the cheering, the standing ovations and the jumping up and down from the audience telling us everything we needed to know!

I’m never quite prepared for the emotional toll that accompanies these sorts of projects. Though it’s always sad when suddenly it’s all over, the truth is another project will follow, and personally I cannot wait.

So, here’s to the next one…”

Sam Rankin, Shakespeare Nation Assistant Producer (Hall for Cornwall)

If you’d like to get involved in next year’s production, please register your interest at [email protected]

We’re heading to 1958 long before City Hall became known as Hall for Cornwall…

Thank you to Truro Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society archive for sharing this delightful photo of a poster of Babes in the Wood, which ran for one week from 06 Jan 1958.

A selection of posters from past performances at City Hall were discovered during the first Hall for Cornwall build between 1995-1997. However, due to being firmly glued onto the wall, many were lost, and only the photos remain.

This poster was created by G & M Organ Theatrical Printers who regularly created theatre posters for City Hall in the 1950s &1960s.

Alan Kitching, the typographer and graphic artist who has created our Performance Timeline, bought the entirety of the Wrington Press when G & M Organ closed their business in the mid-1990s. He used this to create our interactive Performance Timeline which is located in our Green Room Café.

Did you miss an interview with your favourite cast member on BBC Radio Cornwall?

Fear not! They’re all on BBC Sounds, and you can find all of the links to them below.

Take a look behind the scenes of our biggest shows with these exclusive interviews on the David White Show.

Simply click the headline or image to travel over to the BBC Sounds interview pages!

Cornish Writer and Director Simon Harvey Talks about Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of) Which He Co-Directed with Isobel McArthur

Jason Langley and Parisa Shahmir Celebrate the Return of Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical

©BBC Radio Cornwall

Kevin Clifton and Maisie Smith Discuss All Things Strictly Ballroom!

©Ellie Kurttz

Caroline Quentin and Daughter Rose Chat about Working Together in Mrs Warren’s Profession

©Unknown

Claire Martin OBE Talks About Her Performance with BBC Big Band

©Kenny McCracken

Coronation Street Star Kevin Kennedy Discusses Rock of Ages!

©The Other Richard

Acclaimed Choreographer Gary Clarke Chats About His Dance Theatre Show ‘Wasteland’

©Unknown

An Inspector Calls Star Simon Cotton Talks About His Role As Simon Croft

©Copyright 2023 BBC Radio Cornwall

Cast of Hall for Cornwall’s Christmas Show ‘Treasure Island’ Chat About the Show!

©Hugh Hastings Photography

All links and audio content belong to the BBC and are subject to copyright. © Copyright 2023 BBC Sounds

On the afternoon of Sunday 2 April, we welcome the Brussels-based Carousel Chamber Music Ensemble to Truro for the first time. With their combination of combination of clarinet, cello and piano, the trio offer a uniquely warm and mellow sound in the world of chamber music. The programme for their inaugral Cornwall Playhouse visit is bookended by two of the greatest masterpieces for this ensemble, written almost 100 years apart, by Beethoven and Brahms.

The programme

Beethoven’s elegant, lively and youthful “Gassenhauer” Trio, written in Vienna while he was still in his twenties, earned its nickname due to his use of a popular melody of the day in the third movement’s set of variations.

By contrast, Brahms wrote his great Clarinet Trio near the end of his life, in 1891. It is one of four late works inspired by the playing of clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld and is full of glorious autumnal melody and rich, sonorous harmonies.

Between the trios, the clarinet and cello each have an opportunity to showcase their individual qualities in iconic pieces which perfectly capture the essence of these particular instruments.

Claude Debussy wrote his Cello Sonata in Normandy during the First World War. After performances in London and Geneva, the French premiere took place in Paris in 1917 with the composer himself at the piano.  He planned it as the first in a series of six sonatas, but was only able to complete two others (the Violin Sonata and the Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp) before his premature death from cancer in 1918. The yearning, slow first movement of the Cello Sonata is followed by a Serenade and a lively virtuosic finale.

Robert Schumann’s “Fantasy-Pieces”, written in just two days in 1849, are central to the clarinet repertoire, much-loved by musicians and audiences alike.  The poetic title is reflected in the highly Romantic, imaginative and expressive music, which is full of contrasts and sudden changes of mood. The three pieces are marked “Tender and with expression”, “Lively, light” and “Quick and with fire”.

The musicians

Annelien Van Wauwe, clarinet

Belgian clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe is forging a reputation as one of the most exciting and original clarinettists of her generation. Her playing has been described as having “abundant warmth and lyricism, allied to a sinuous vocal quality”. (Classical Source). Of herself, she says: “If I was not a musician, would be a yoga teacher, an interior designer, a journalist or an artist manager – or all of these at the same time.”
A former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Annelien has won numerous international competitions and awards, including an Opus Klassik as Best Young Artist 2020 for her debut album ‘Belle Epoque’ on Pentatone. She describes her passion for chamber music as “reaching out to other musicians via a piece of music, its composer and giving space for those unexplainable sparkles of musical magic to appear without even moving an inch from your chair”.

Annelien made her BBC Proms debut in 2017 and the following year performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a televised Prom.  Her solo engagements take her to many prestigious European concert halls and festivals, performing with leading orchestras and conductors. She is also a passionate advocate for new music and has inspired a number of composers to write especially for her. Her intensive practice of yoga, with its positive influence on her clarinet playing, led her to become a certified yoga teacher and to commission SUTRA, a concerto for clarinet, orchestra and electronics from Wim Henderickx, a work based on breath and meditation; co-commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and the Borletti-Buitoni Trust, the concerto was premiered with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins in 2022.

Annelien returns to the Heidelberg Spring Festival this year, with pianist Paloma Kouider, in a recital programme entitled ‘FRagrANCE’, which contains “flowery, harmonious and radiant French repertoire”. The renowned Amsterdam-based live-perfumer Erich Bergmann, aka Odo7, transforms their music live into a multi-sensory concert experience with scent.

Annelien also regularly gives masterclasses and teaches at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.

Louis Rodde, cello

French cellist Louis Rodde studied in Paris, Leipzig and at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Enchanted from an early age by chamber music, he founded the prize-winning Karénine piano trio in 2009 with violinist Fanny Robilliard and pianist Paloma Kouider.

As soloist and chamber musicians, Louis performs regularly in European concert halls such as Musikverein Vienna, Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord Paris and Wigmore Hall London. He has given concerts in New York, Montreal, Tokyo and Buenos Aires, and appeared at many music festivals around the world.

Louis Rodde’s recordings have received international acclaim. His albums include music by Fauré, Schumann, Ravel, Shostakovich, Schubert and Dvorak. He also works with contemporary composers and is a member of the artists’ collective Les Dissonances, which performs symphonic repertoire without conductor, and of the project Le Salon Idéal, collaborating with jazz and world music artists.

Louis enjoys sharing his passion for music and is a committed volunteer in teaching masterclasses and playing concerts in countries such as Haïti, Sénégal and Lebanon for people without access to music. However, he also has many other interests and says “if I was not a musician, I would be an ornithologist or an actor”.

Paloma Kouider, piano

Award-winning French pianist Paloma Kouider studied in Paris, Florence and Vienna. With violinist Fanny Robilliard and cellist Louis Rodde, she founded the Trio Karénine – winner, among other prizes, of the 62nd ARD Competition in Munich. As a young musician, Paloma was particularly inspired by the playing of Alfred Brendel, Paul Badura-Skoda and Menahem Pressler (of the Beaux Arts Trio).  She also has great interest in contemporary composers and in the interpretation of baroque music.

Paloma’s current and upcoming highlights include concerts in the Auditorium du Louvre and Salle Pleyel in Paris, London’s Wigmore Hall, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, and at international festivals such as Aix-en-Provence and La Roque d’Anthéron.  In chamber music, as well as the Trio Karénine, she regularly performs with cellists Aurélien Pascal and Anastasia Kobekina and the violinist Alexandra Soumm. Paloma’s recording of Beethoven sonatas and Liszt Rhapsodies was awarded 5 Diapasons and 4 stars by Classica, along with very enthusiastic reviews.

Involved in charity projects aimed at creating opportunities through the arts, Paloma founded with two friends the non-profit organization Esperanz’Arts.  Away from the piano, Paloma’s other passion is Literature, which she studied in the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris.

Book your tickets

Carousel Chamber Music Ensemble perform on Sunday 2 April at 3pm. You can book your tickets here, by calling our Box Office on 01872 262466 or by popping in to see our brilliant Box Office team on the Boscawen Stree entrance to Hall for Cornwall.

As the Cornish celebration of St Piran’s Day rolls around, we’ve proudly unveiled our new dual Cornish-English signage!

A key part of our transformation was revealing the heritage of City Hall and its significance within the Cornish community throughout the years. We decided that one of the most effective ways we could do this is by having bilingual signage celebrating the Cornish language, showcasing how it can be used effectively going forward.

We spoke to Mark Trevethan, Cornish Language Lead at Cornwall Council, who said:

‘The Cornish language, Kernewek, is one of the six living Celtic languages, but is recognised as an endangered language. To ensure that Cornish is handed on to the next generation, even small things can cumulatively help to keep the language in use. Signs in public buildings, like Hall for Cornwall, are helpful for Cornish speakers to use their language in everyday life, but also for other people to learn a few words of Cornish through repeated use.’

Cornwall has a rich cultural history in performance, which began in the late 14th century with Medieval mystery plays written in Latin with Cornish stage directions. As a hub for culture in Truro, we chose to integrate the Cornish language into all 190 bilingual signs, which can be seen around the Cornwall Playhouse and throughout the building. Cornwall has a distinct sense of place elevated by its history and strong cultural legacy. Our aim is to preserve and celebrate our heritage, and the inclusion of Cornish language signage is another step towards this.

Mark further commented:

‘Hall for Cornwall’s bi-lingual signage has been designed to a high quality as part of the overall new look for the theatre. Kernewek is a feature of that design and gives the building a definite Cornish identity. This confident use of the language shows Cornish being used in an attractive way and is a great example for other public buildings to follow.’

Each sign is also designed with large, easy-to-read fonts, and directional icons to ensure they are as accessible as possible. We’ve always prided ourselves in providing an accessible environment throughout the Cornwall Playhouse, Green Room Café, and Playhouse Bar. Our commitment to providing a ‘Theatre for All’ has been thoughtfully integrated into the design of the building and the additional services that we provide. After all, at the heart of everything we do is our passion for welcoming one and all to experience the very best of live entertainment.

We also spoke to Cllr Carol Mould, portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods at Cornwall Council, who said:

“The Cornish language is a unique cultural asset which underpins the distinctiveness of Cornwall. I am delighted to see that Hall for Cornwall is helping to introduce Cornish words and phrases to visitors from far and wide. I hope this initiative inspires more people to consider learning Kernewek which is such an important part of our culture and heritage.”

This signage follows the redesign of our safety curtain in August 2022, which was painted by local artist Phil Walker, to display the words Safety Curtain, alongside the Cornish translation of Kroglen Sawder.

The best way to view this signage in person is to follow our Ope Way which runs from the Green Room Café on Lemon Quay, through the Cornwall Playhouse, to the Playhouse Bar on Boscowan Street, home to the Hall for Cornwall Box Office.

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

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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!

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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

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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!’

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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!

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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?

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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…

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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!

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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!

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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!

Our Green Room Café has had a Christmas makeover!

From winter-warming drinks to sweet treats and nachos, we have something for everyone to get them in the festive spirit.

Tantalise your taste buds with festive drinks…

Our new flavours include: Cookies & Cream Hot Chocolate, Cherry Bakewell Hot Chocolate, Banoffee Hot Chocolate, Mint Hot Chocolate, White Hot Chocolate, Black Forest Hot Chocolate, Tiramisu Mocha, Butterscotch Latte, Maple Spice Latte, Cinnamon Spice Latte.

If you’re feeling peckish…

Our tasty homemade sandwiches and toasties are available daily.

And especially for Late Night Shopping…

Try our new vegetarian and vegan loaded nachos, with avocado, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos.

It’s Christmastime, come along and treat yourself ?

Café Opening times:

11am – 4pm daily, with later opening hours on Wednesdays in December (late night shopping) and before a show starts, so you can start your evening with a mouth-watering treat.

10th May 1956: Schoolchildren wave their flags and cheer as Queen Elizabeth II visits the Cornish capital, Truro. (Photo by Bellisario/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Her majesty visiting Truro in 1956.

Thank you Queen Elizabeth II for your tireless service to our nation over 70 years. As we mourn your loss, we send condolences to the King, to our Royal Patron HRH Prince Edward, The Earl Of Wessex, and to the Royal Family in this time of grief. The Queen was a devoted supporter of arts and culture and a champion of so many generations of British artists and performers – for your unstinting passion and support for our sector, thank you Ma’am.

With the announcement of the State Funeral, the Hall for Cornwall will be closed on on Mon 19 Sep. We have rescheduled the performance of Rob Lamberti to Wed 02 Nov. If you have a ticket for this performance, we’ve sent you an email to explain how these changes affect you.

We will be open as usual in the days leading up to the funeral and reopen on the morning of Tue 20 Sep.

At present, we are continuing with all other scheduled performances and will notify ticket holders of any changes.

Image: Jacob King/PA Wire/PA images