Spotlight on… FAREHAM LIVE
Fareham Live officially opened its new doors on 28 September 2024 after a £16.7 million, four year makeover, which has reimagined the building as a modern multipurpose cultural venue. The old Ferneham Hall closed its doors in January 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Council to put the project on hold for 10 months before finally starting in August 2022. The new venue, built within the footprint of the old, is a new state-of-the-art entertainment venue boasting an 800-seat concert hall and 120-seat studio space. A daytime café and bistro will serve a selection of freshly made meals, snacks and treats. By night, a selection of street food-style options will be available for an informal meal.
The Councillor for Titchfield, Connie Hockley, said: “I never thought this day would come. We got through Covid and it’s here. It’s perfect and my colleagues and Trafalgar are over the moon with it. It's such a treat to be enjoying this wonderful community asset and I hope the community will really embrace it."
The new operators of the venue, Trafalgar Theatres, ensured the changes would be highlighted with a strong opening week of top talent. It started with The Prat Pack, starring Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley, Shane Richie and Joe Pasquale, a show that had previously played the London Palladium; four of the UK’s top comedians of the last twenty years together for one night only. This was followed up by Australian superstar Jason Donavan strutting his stuff as Frank ‘n’ Furter in the legendary Rocky Horror Show. Richard O’Brien’s classic musical pastiche of old science fiction films started in 1973 and has achieved cult status with a legion of fans who know the script and dress the part for its regular reawakening. Fifty years on, it continues to delight audiences with its sexy immersive experience, billed as a guaranteed party with many taking part in the call backs, teasing the on-stage performers and, of course, dancing along to the ‘Time Warp’. It may not be PC, but its irrepressible energetic mad cap style is great fun and stands a second, third or more viewing!
As well as the usual regional mix of one nighters, comic and music tribute shows, the venue plans to establish itself on the regular weekly touring circuit. It has already announced the hilarious Cluedo 2 for November and The Merchant of Venice 1936 with Tracy-Ann Oberman for March . In April, the evergreen emotional story of Blood Brothers is booked in. Between these shows sees Imagine Theatre stage the first of their annual pantomimes for the venue, with AJ and Curtis Prichard in Cinderella as the Prince and Dandini and comic Paul Burling as Buttons. It runs from 13 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.
The pantomime producer Sarah Boden said: “Bringing pantomime to a new venue is always exciting and a real honour. To be able to present in a state-of-the-art venue such as Fareham Live only adds to that. Being at both the opening performances – The Prat Pack and Rocky Horror Show – makes us realise that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The auditorium is configured in such a way that it will have a real feeling of belonging and connection; something that works brilliantly in panto. We can’t wait for first night of Cinderella, and for Fareham and the surrounding area to finally have their panto back.”
Ferneham Hall was first opened in 1982 and was the town's main entertainment venue. It was built at the same time as the new shopping centre as part of the major redevelopment of the town centre. The name Fareham Live was chosen through a public consultation to gather people's views on suggested names. This was held over a four-week period and resulted in the clear winner 'Fareham Live' with almost half (49%) of the 1060 responses voting for it. It also reflects styling of the Trafalgar Theatre Group’s successful Guildford Live venue with its programming mix and ability to top quality corporate and hospitality events for the local community.
The rebuild has enabled the design to incorporate many features to make the venue more accessible and more sustainable as well as more versatile and practical as an entertainment venue. Around 50% of the existing building has been retained or reused, including some of the original foundations and much of the original auditorium. Materials from the demolition phase were crushed down and reused in the building’s foundations. This not only significantly reduces the number of new materials needed but also minimises the carbon impact of total demolition and replacement.
Theatre Director, Gavin Shuman, said: “When designing Fareham Live, Fareham Borough Council reduce the carbon footprint of the venue by installing 18 photovoltaic (solar) panels on the roof of the fly tower and by installing four air source heat pumps to provide heating and ventilation. The building fabric has been upgraded to improve insulation, reducing the demand for heating and cooling in the process.”
The new building has been designed to be fully wheelchair accessible, both backstage and front of house. Both the main hall and Studio One are equipped with a Sennheiser infra-red system. This state-of-the-art technology uses an invisible infrared light to connect the sound source and the listener. At relaxed performances, they can provide “visual stories” or guides to help audiences know what to expect during visit or during the show to reduce anxiety and quite spaces to relax in.
The creative learning team, who are such an essential part of any venue like this, have already announced Youth Performer Drama classes, West End Experiences sessions and a Summer Youth Project of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory aimed at local children between 7 and 19.
Creative learning manager at Fareham Live, Jo Bennington, said: “I aim for our youth theatre programme to build confidence in the young people who participate, alongside forming new friendships that might last a lifetime. The sentiment is the same for the adults who will access our services as well – as a venue, we strive to be an integral part of the community. Whether it's popping in for coffee and cake at elevenses and catching up with friends, or coming in to discover a brand-new show, we want to be a welcoming hub for everyone.”
There are challenges ahead for many regional venues under pressure from rising costs and the pressures on Local Authority finances but Fareham Live is a shining example of what can be achieved when a Council understands and supports the economic and social benefits that a vibrant arts centre can bring to the heart of a community.
Nick Wayne
Nick has been involved in Producer and Venue Organisations for twenty-five years, seen over 1200 productions, visited over 160 of the UK Venues and invested in over 30 West End Productions