Over its 150-year life this theatre has been reworked, extended and re-fashioned to provide Wigan with an up-to-date entertainment venue on the Kings Street. It’ s nineteen nineties rework into a night club left this theatre in a much altered state with no ground floor stalls, raked floor or original seating and the stage area set up for DJ mixing tables and dancers. The upper floor areas are closed off and in disrepair.
The proposal is to restore the original interior fabric to its original state. Raked seating, stage area and orchestrate pit restored and upper floors brought back into use. Circulation, refreshment and toilet area all needed reworking to provide a modern theatre with adequate facilities.
The external fabric is in good order, although the brickwork does need repointing and refurbishment works to its parapets are required to make the entire building watertight. Its showy front elevation will need the interior spaces adjacent reorganising to get the most from this façade including a bar area at first floor and ground floor free circulation in its lobbies.
At the rear of the theatre, a significant expansion space exists offering an alternative civic entrance into a memorabilia museum, café and back of house production series of spaces. A roof top theatre bar enlivens the roofline and provides necessary social space for pre and post theatre goers.