Generous grant unlocks major upgrade at Shoreham Ropetackle

Shoreham’s Ropetackle is looking forward to a major upgrade on the back of a £371k grant from the Arts Council.

The Arts Council money will be complemented by additional funding allocated by Ropetackle itself, bringing the total project value to more than £500,000 – all in support of a significant programme of improvements and refurbishment across the venue.

The investment will make possible a comprehensive upgrade of the auditorium, including increased capacity, alongside a full modernisation of the foyer, box office and Rose Petal Café. The plans also include the creation of additional office space for staff

Ropetackle chairman Martin Allen is thrilled at the prospect: “This is a real biggie for us. It has taken a long time in the pipeline but it is by far and away the biggest grant we've ever had. We had big funding from the Arts Council when we opened but this is quite the game-changer.

“The place is 20 years old and it has got a bit tired, and it was quite badly built in the first place. We have had to live with that but there are several parts to the project now, in fact two main parts, that will really change things for us.

“The foyer is where our cafe is and it's a space that we use for various events but it has never really worked for either. It's just a space really. It was just intended for audiences to go into and go through into the auditorium. It was never thought about as a place for a particular use but we have adapted it by creating the cafe that is there. But the acoustics are dreadful.

“But with this grant, we will be able to transform the foyer with modern acoustics and have a really good cafe ambiance. It will be much more suitable for use for secondary events.

“And it will also help with the auditorium. Part of the rationale is to try to create some extra seats. We are 220 seated theatre-style but we limit the numbers at the moment to 200 for various reasons. The auditorium has got acoustic curtaining around it which reduces capacity and there's also the sound desk at the back of the auditorium. What we're aiming to do is to move the sound desk into a different area and to install modern acoustic boards all around. There will also be certain adjustments to the stage.

“I think we will have around 30 extra seats afterwards which doesn't sound that much but when you do the sums, the fact is that we have around five ticketed events a week and if you multiply that across the year then it does mean a significant increase.

“What we are doing is making the best of a small venue. Something came out of the ether that made Ropetackle into whatever it is that Ropetackle is and that people love so much. It is recognised as having something very unique, and we get lots of feedback from the performers who criss-cross across the country and from people at other venues saying that what we've got is part of the success of what we have. It is a magic. It is a combination of the programme and the friendliness of the place. It's down to the team of volunteers that we have got that are so welcoming. They are part of the experience. The experience of coming to Ropetackle is welcoming, and people love that.

“And the great thing is that with these improvements we will be building on that. The consultation that has gone into this bid has involved liaising with lots of different people. There has always been an inclusiveness to the place. We've got a team of 80 volunteers and we are very close to them. It's a bottom-up process and it's about community. We know our community and we know our audiences and that's why it works.”

The improvements will mean a closure: “This is all very provisional and there is a lot of work to be done first but we're aiming for January next year and thinking that the closure will be for a period of up to a month. We might be able to do it in stages, the foyer in one stage and the auditorium in another stage which might reduce the closure time. We just don't know yet.”

The funding application was submitted in partnership with Adur & Worthing Councils, with the council named as the official recipient in the Arts Council’s announcement. The funding is designated solely for Ropetackle, however.

Martin added: “Having just celebrated our 18th anniversary, the extensive improvements will pave the way for the next era of our journey. I would like to thank the council for working closely with us in the partnership bid.”