During the summer of 2013, the Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple has undergone a backstage refurbishment scheme to bring the theatre up to date.

Until then the big cloths and scenery over the stage had to be hauled by our backstage staff up and down on ropes, just like a sailing ship in the 19th century. With financial support from North Devon Council, the Arts Council, Fullabrook CIC and The Foyle Foundation we have skipped the 20th century and moved straight to the 21st as a state of the art system using powered winches and computer controls has been installed. At the same time, the stage extension that we use for large-scale shows such as ballet and full orchestras has been motorised so that it can form the extension or convert into an orchestra pit at the press of a button. Previously it took four men all morning just to change the pit over.

It’s a big step forward for us, because it means we can take bigger shows and fit them in straightforwardly, and also we can change over from one type of show to another very easily. The slideshow above and the film clip below shows the work in progress.  

If you would like to get closer to the action, then please join one of our technical backstage tours.

In the meantime, thanks for your support. We hope you enjoy the results of the hard work!