CHARLES HUTCHINSON spotlights a big step for a small venue

THE Studio is to become a permanent part of life at York Theatre Royal, after a successful first year in the second performance space.

Converted from the theatre's paint shop into a temporary theatre and workshop space in September 2001, The Studio re-opens on Thursday - World Theatre Day - after six weeks of improvements to disabled access, air conditioning, sound proofing and new individual seating for 104.

The theatre is investing more than £150,000 in the refurbishment programme, buoyed by a £40,250 award from the Arts Lottery and £4,000 from the Lloyds TSB Foundation for a wheelchair lift, with Nick Allen of Leeds architects Allen Todd designing the new look.

Chief executive Ludo Keston says: "Initially, I had concerns about where the Studio audience would come from: whether it would take away from the existing audience and whether increased costs would open a void under our feet. Within a year it was obvious that was not the case. The main-house audience had stayed mainly the same, concerts and events were attracting new audiences and so was the Studio. People were coming to the theatre for the first time, and those who were coming twice a year were now coming to two or three Studio shows as well. A result!"

Initially, The Studio had been a rudimentary performance space put together by the theatre workshop staff. There were no backrests on the bench seating - they were added later - no sound protection against the bell-ringing of the nearby Minster and cumbersome disabled access. Yet it worked.

Artistic director Damian Cruden says: "In terms of performance the space was always right; the relationship between audience and performers was right. Having the same end-on design as the main-house stage would have been wrong. So, instead, we had the audience on three sides of the stage because that way everyone is so much closer.

"End-on, you could be ten or 12 rows back; this way no one is more than four rows back, so we created an intimacy suited to the nature of the plays.

So far they've been pieces that concentrate on character and intense human relations and really put the focus on the actors."

Amid the improvements, the stage design will remain three-sided. "What we've been able to do is make The Studio more comfortable for the audience and better for the actors, who won't have to work against the church bells any more," says Damian.

The Studio's meat and veg will be Theatre Royal repertory shows, plus contributions from Pilot Theatre Company, as part of a three-year residency at the Theatre Royal, and seven weeks of York Youth Theatre workshops and shows. There will be occasional touring shows too, such as the April 1 to 5 visit of Bad Apple Theatre Company's Still Marilyn by York playwright Kate Bramley.

First up, from Thursday to Saturday, will be the youth theatre showcase, Connections; Nick Lane's two-hander Beauty And The Beast is in rehearsal for an April 10 to May 3 run, and Tim Welton's production of Irvine Welsh's drugs drama Trainspotting will see a cast of four for the first time in a Studio rep show, from May 9 to 31.

Ludo says: "This is a space for new audiences, new risks and opening up the chance to do more new work."

Damian concurs. "The Studio allows us to experiment with our relationship with the audience," he says. "It's not about a space paying for itself; it's about a balanced programme within a solvent theatre.

"We are here to deliver performing arts for the whole city and that's always been my belief."

Updated: 10:18 Tuesday, March 25, 2003