BREAKING: Wellingborough's Castle theatre to re-open next week

Wellingborough Council has announced that the theatre will re-open to the public on August 19 for the Wellingborough Soul Weekender, a weekend DJ event that features music across all the venue’s spaces.

A number of community and professional events are also now confirmed to take place from September through to the early spring.

Highlights include the Russian All Stars who will present Snow White on Ice over the Christmas season from December 14th until December 30.

An ice show has not previously been presented in Wellingborough and it is hoped that this production will delight the whole family as well as complement other Christmas productions in the area.

Internationally renowned skaters will perform ballet, gymnastics and aerial aerobatics while a narrator guides the audience through the original story of Snow White.

There will be a choice of matinee and evening performances, as well as a range of pricing options which includes schools and groups.

The current committed programme of events for the town centre theatre will be released shortly, with further events released after that time as they are confirmed.

Details on how tickets can be purchased will be released in the next week.

Since The Castle closed at the end of June, the council, which owns the building, has been committed to re-opening the venue as a community resource for the people of Wellingborough and beyond.

A theatre management specialist has been brought in by the council to re-open the theatre in the immediate term, primarily to be hired out by people in Wellingborough and regional community groups and users.

As part of this process, a small team with marketing and technical skills has been brought in to operate the venue so it can meet the council’s immediate priorities and to ensure the building is compliant and that necessary systems are in place.

As part of this work, the theatre management specialist will also work with the council’s senior management team on medium to long-term options for the venue which will be considered by members later in the year.

Council leader Martin Griffiths said: “I am delighted that The Castle theatre is re-opening.

“The council is fully committed to the venue as a community facility for the audiences and users of Wellingborough, and what we are building now will form the basis of a sustainable model moving forward.

“The extent of support for The Castle to be retained as a venue has been extraordinary and on behalf of all members I urge customers and users to support the venue as the council moves it forward into a new and exciting phase.”

Leader of the Opposition group Cllr Andrew Scarborough added: “I share my colleague’s commitment to The Castle theatre and join all members in supporting its opening.

“The venue is an invaluable asset for the cultural well-being of Wellingborough and we look forward to working with all involved as the venue moves forward.

“We wish all users well as they present their events and performances at The Castle theatre over the coming months.”

The council has received an extraordinary number of approaches of support, offers to be involved and requests to hold events or productions at the venue, for which the council is really appreciative.

All approaches are being managed in a central database to which the council has endeavoured to respond to as soon as possible, and will continue to do so.

The council does not have access to any information or data relating to the previous operation, which includes customer records and details of users, groups or organisations, therefore anyone wanting to make contact with The Castle team is asked to use [email protected] until the box office and administrative offices open in the coming weeks.

Any user, group or organisation interested in using The Castle Theatre or presenting their productions (if they haven’t already done so) are also urged to contact the council in the first instance at [email protected].

Tickets for Wellingborough Soul Weekender are still available and can be bought online from www.freewebs.com/soulinthehind or by calling 01933 441281 or 07967 520388.