Theatre Bounces Back From Pandemic With 5 Year Plan

Thursday, 3 November 2022 17:08

The Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts says this is a pivotal time for theatre in Guernsey.

A 5-year development plan announced by the PRCPA aims to expand its educational input and community impact.

The timeline coincides with the site's 20th anniversary in 2027.

The plan includes rearranging the foyer and adopting an ‘always open’ approach.

Although the facilities can and have been used as diverse conference spaces and teaching rooms, this report aims to refocus the centre on its goal to become a cultural hub for the Creative Industries.

Artistic Director Oliver Davies says the centre is confident the community would welcome an expansion of theatre, as a passion for performance has returned since the pandemic:

"I think after the last few years, being entertained and enjoying a night out is an important thing for us to all be able to do, especially as a community to come together and have a shared experience of live theatre.

Through Covid, we saw a lot of professional performers return to the island, and we’ve sort of bucked the trend of everyone else. Our theatre scene blossomed, and there are lots of new opportunities.

He added that the centre has always seen itself as a place for education, and expanding on that in the future is a key objective:

“We are a part of the Guernsey Institute and we are the centre of the new development post-16 campus and we are looking at developing the technical production arts on the island,

So we definitely see ourselves as being able to increase the professional development of people looking to be trained in a more vocational environment."