Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre celebrates it's 40th birthday in style

Former leaders, dancers, actors and playwrights were out in force to celebrate all the venue had achieved over four decades of productions, while looking forward to what is yet to come in a celebration broadcast live via social networking website Facebook.

Led by Darlaston-born writer Dave Pitt, the audience was treated to a cross section of everything the Arena has to offer.

It started with a performance by two members of Flexus Dance Collective, with whom the Arena has a partnership with which gives young local dancers a platform upon which to hone their craft.

John Pymm, the dean of faculty of arts at Wolverhampton University which runs the venue, then gave us a potted tour through some of their biggest achievements.

From early performances by Hollywood star Idris Elba to the work the venue does with both deaf actors and actors with disabilities, there was much to be proud of.

And it was left to Mr Pitt - an example of an artist given his first shot at success by the Arena - to send out a rallying call to all local talent to try their luck via a comical and insightful speech on how his own career began.

Fran Richards, education and outreach officer for the theatre, said: "To celebrate the theatre's birthday with many of our patrons, partners and staff past and present was a true pleasure. Despite only being a youngster in theatre terms you could really feel the history in the room which could only be rivalled by pride. Here's to another 40 years.

Neil Reading, venue manager, added: "Here at the Arena Theatre we are proud to be giving a voice to those who often go unheard in the arts world. Going forward, we plan to enhance our reputation of programming the best of small scale touring in the UK, alongside contributing to the creative case by supporting a range of artists and welcoming audiences from a plethora of diverse backgrounds.

"We will continue to supplement our programme with our development strands which are becoming increasingly popular with our patrons and support new career artists."

For more information on the venue and what they offer, visit www.wlv.ac.uk/arena-theatre