Barn beauty

This month, enjoy The Secret Garden at Cirencester’s newest community asset: the 200-seat Barn Theatre and professional producing house

The Barn Theatre is the centrepiece of ongoing development at Cirencester’s grade II listed Ingleside House. The unsubsidised, not-for-profit theatre will pursue a reputation as a major producing house, attracting the best of UK theatre talent to the area. A large purpose-built education suite, now nearing completion, will host a theatre and musical education projects year-round.

The Barn Theatre’s completion will represent the culmination of two years of hard work. The theatre building itself which was formerly a WWII Nissen Hut housing community and youth theatre has undergone a complete transformation and is now equipped with a 200-seat air-conditioned auditorium space, a new stage and orchestra pit beneath, and the latest in lighting, sound and projection technology. A newly built atrium joins the theatre to the adjacent Ingleside House, providing a contemporary theatre bar and foyer, and through access for audiences and visitors to the beautiful Ingleside House and gardens.

The venue now also includes a stunning, new stand-alone restaurant and piano bar (Teatro) with talented young chefs offering excellent food in amazing surroundings. Pre-theatre dining and a varied programme of live music at the 50-seat restaurant mean Teatro is ideal for a full evening’s entertainment, on theatre nights, or at any time.

The Barn Theatre officially opens on Monday, 19th March, with a production of the Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden, based on the 1911 book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The script and lyrics are by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman with a score by Lucy Simon. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1991 going on to win three Tony Awards. Dominic Shaw, who has worked on several West End Shows including Beautiful – The Carole King Musical; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Legally Blonde and currently, Kinky Boots will direct the show.

To book tickets (£14 – £28) for The Secret Garden please visit www.barntheatre.org.uk or call 01285 648255.