Revealed: Plans to transform O'Neills into 'premiere' theatre
This is how Wolverhampton's former O'Neills bar will look if Wolverhampton Central Youth Theatre succeeds in its plan to create a new home in the heart of the city.
Large windows will give shoppers a glimpse behind the scenes of rehearsals and costumes as they walk past the venue on Lichfield Street while plans to restore the shop canopy will see the theatre's name lit up in lights.
Bosses say the £500,000 project will give the company a 'premiere location' opposite the Grand Theatre.
They had originally planned to move into part of the former Co-operative store above the Moon Under Water, which is next door to O'Neills.
But the company snapped up the chance for more prominent ground-floor accommodation in the former Irish bar instead.
Director Jane Ward said original plans were for the company to be based on the first floor and in the basement.
She said: "Ground floor accommodation means we will have shop windows to promote our costume hire facilities and our activities, plus we aim to restore the large shop canopy to really promote the name of Central Youth Theatre within the city."
The building will be transformed into three rehearsal studios, offices, a theatre wardrobe and film editing suite as well as a café bar and social area for young people.
More than £55,000 towards the half a million pounds needed to refurbish the ground floor and basement has already been raised.
Of this £35,000 of this total has been raised through fundraising and donations by both the local community and celebrity supporters including the likes of Greg Davies, Russell Howard and Daniel Kitson at the Hilarity Charity Gala in June this year.
A bid for a grant of £384,000 has also been submitted to the Arts Council's Small Scale Capital Fund.
Mrs Ward said: "We can not thank the people of Wolverhampton enough for getting behind us: organisations such as the University of Wolverhampton, Tettenhall Round Table, The Rotary Clubs and Wolverhampton Fine Arts Society amongst others have all given generous donations as well as hundreds of local people who donated to our CYT Heat campaign both online and off-line.
"It was a firm endorsement of the need for such a facility for young people and will hopefully convince the Arts Council that this is worthwhile project to support.
"We hear back from the Arts Council at the end of February 2016 and our members are very excited about what lies ahead.
"We will, of course, be continuing to fund-raise throughout next year and the date for the next Hilarity Charity Gala at the Grand Theatre has been set for June 6 when we hope to have another group of celebrity comedians giving a further push to our efforts and helping to make our dream come true."
