Celebrations have been taking place at the Seagull in Pakefield, Lowestoft, as an extensive 18-month renovation project comes to an end.
Staff, volunteers, and patrons have been 'celebrating' the successful transformation of the community-run theatre, housed in a Victorian-era school building.
The overhaul focused on updating the facility and increasing access for all in the community.
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This includes the creation of an accessible workshop space for more community activities, an entirely new toilet suite, and a conversion of an underused area into a community access studio.
Additional enhancements included a total refurbishment of the main auditorium.
Patrons will now have new seating and an updated stage floor along with renovations to the original dressing room.
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The old toilet area has been converted into an accessible box office.
Funding from the Arts Council and the Youth Investment Fund has allowed for the introduction of several accessibility improvement measures.
A new lift now allows spectators with mobility restrictions to access the upper-floor studio spaces and the ground floor studio has wider doorways for easier access.
An accessible toilet can be found in the new toilet block, and the new box office is now also easily accessible to disabled volunteers, with a lowered serving area for customers in wheelchairs.
The car park has double the number of reserved spaces for accessible vehicles and the auditorium has extra wheelchair spaces as well as additional flat level access seating for those with limited mobility.
Complementing the accessibility changes were improvements to environmental sustainability.
Energy-efficient lighting, additional insulation, and installing new low-power heating throughout the building helps reduce the theatre's carbon footprint.
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Manager Karen Read said: “We are so thrilled with all the improvements we have been able to make at the Seagull.
"We are first and foremost a community venue, and being able to make our building more accessible for every member of that community, has been our priority for some time.
"We know this is just the start of another wonderful chapter for our fabulous Seagull.”
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