Back in 2011, in its 75th Anniversary year, Cambridge Arts Theatre announced that with planning permission secured it was expected that work on the ACT II project to transform the building would start in Summer 2013 subject to raising the funds.
On schedule works have now started for the first phase of building which will last seventeen weeks and see the theatre dark for only ten, with the box office open as usual.
From September, the theatre will have a new foyer, extended bar spaces and seating areas.
The architects for the project are Burrell Foley Fischer. Funding has come from Arts Council England, Cambridge City Council, an investment from King’s College, Cambridge, and private donations.
Baroness Cohen, Chair of Cambridge Arts Theatre, who with her husband has privately supported the works has said: “I am very proud to see the theatre get started on the first phase of this exciting and innovative project.
"When the ACT II vision is complete, our new-found financial resilience will give the theatre team the confidence and security to take a long-term view of its programme, in-house productions, audience development and educational aspirations. And it will secure this wonderful theatre for generations to come.”
Other phases of the ACT II project include an intimate basement performance space and the transformation of the former restaurant into a 200-seat studio theatre.