Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre ready to prove life begins at 40

Arena Theatre, in Wulfruna Street, has been part of the heart of the city for four decades now and is celebrating this week.

Hollywood superstar Idris Elba, of Luther, Thor and American Gangster, performed in one of his first-ever acting jobs after graduating from drama school at the theatre in Of Mice And Men in 1993, and many other famous faces have trod the boards at the venue in the fledgling stages of their careers.

And as staff, performers and avid theatre-goers raise a glass to the milestone anniversary, bosses hope that it continues to provide a platform for budding stars.

Neil Reading, venue manager, said: "A main focus of ours is to help develop new performances, and help make it a venue for people who are trying to make a career in performing arts in the West Midlands.

"We need to make sure people know that we are here to talk to if they want to discuss developing projects and ideas.

"We want to be available to cater to people's needs as best we can and help bridge the gap from qualifying at university to becoming established in a long-term career in performing arts.

"We want to act like a stepping stone on the way, which seems appropriate given we are situated at the university."

He added: "Idris performed here in the early 1990s. He's on the cover of the programme. I believe it was his first professional job out of acting school.

"He's someone we got really excited about when we were looking through the archives. There are others who have been here and done well too, but Idris is the main one who has gone on to sort of take over the world."

The 150-seat theatre began life in 1976 in a disused gym in the basement of Wolverhampton Polytechnic, as part of the Drama and Performing Arts department.

In addition to student performances, the theatre has presented shows by local schools and community groups, as well as professional touring theatre companies and musicians. With support from the Arts Council of England, the theatre was able to put on more events and open its doors to a much wider audience from outside the polytechnic, becoming a venue that offered work reflecting Wolverhampton's cultural diversity.

But 20 years later, the theatre had outgrown its cramped and inaccessible home, so with investment from the University of Wolverhampton and a grant from the National Lottery, an ambitious £2 million refurbishment began.

After 18 months of building work, the Arena Theatre reopened in October 1999.

With greatly improved facilities and access, the theatre was able to expand its programme of performances and events.

It now hosts in excess of 200 public performances per year – in addition to several other special events.

The venue has staged several performances from deaf and disabled artists.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary, a night of theatre and a music recital of baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli is to be held on November 29.

The theatre, which is funded by Arts Council England, is also currently preparing its bid for its next four years of funding from the body. Mr Reading added: "Hopefully we'll secure it and continue to go from strength to strength."