WATCH: Work under way on £1 million Wolverhampton Grand Theatre revamp
Are you seating comfortably? Well, if you're part of the audience at Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre you're in for an upgrade - as all 1,200 seats in the auditorium are being replaced as part of a £1 million revamp.
The theatre is currently undergoing a major refurbishment which will see the venue completely transformed over six weeks with a grand re-opening in the autumn.
And now bosses have announced the seating across all three levels of the auditorium will be taken out and replaced, bringing the total cost for the refurbishment to £1.1million.
The design of the 121-year-old auditorium will remain untouched.
The last major refurbishment work in the auditorium took place during the summer of 2014 and saw 24 carat gold leaf rendering of the plasterwork around the chandelier.
The new seating, which has been chosen with the help of owners Wolverhampton council, will reduce noise levels in the auditorium as it will be soft-closing and will improve comfort throughout the stalls, dress circle and grand circle.
The seats will also include sponsorship plaques enabling theatregoers and businesses to become 'part of the fabric' of the Grand Theatre.
Chief executive of the theatre, Adrian Jackson said: "The Grand Theatre is a significant part of city centre life within Wolverhampton. Adding the replacement of the auditorium seating to the grand scheme will be the 'icing on the cake'.
"The level of comfort of the new seats, together with the revised layouts will greatly improve accessibility and comfort for our audience".
It is hoped that the entire refurbishment of the theatre will increase footfall as the venue becomes more of a destination within the city.
The new bars and foyers along with the new seating will be experienced for the first time by a re-opening night audience on September 10.
