Lighthouse (Poole)

Lighthouse is an arts centre in Poole, Dorset, England. According to Arts Council England it is the largest arts centre in the United Kingdom outside London.[1]

Lighthouse
Arts centre, Theatre and Cinema
Industrytheater 
FoundedPoole in 1978
HeadquartersPoole
Websitewww.lighthousepoole.co.uk

It has a 669-seat theatre, a 1,500 seat concert hall, a 150-seat studio, a 105-seat cinema, an Image Lab/media suite, a large gallery for photography and digital art, a restaurant and three function rooms. The concert hall is home to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.[1][2]

History, development and funding

The Poole Arts Centre (Towngate Theatre, Wessex Hall and Ashley Cinema) opened in April 1978 to serve the South East Dorset conurbation. The venue closed in May 2002 for an £8.5 million radical refurbishment and overhaul. This was paid for by Arts Council Lottery Awards, the Borough of Poole and through private donations. It reopened as Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts in October 2002. The refurbishment added new extensive facilities including a modern cinema, expanded concert hall and photography labs. Other additions included expanded customer facilities and a new restaurant.

Lighthouse receives additional funding from Arts Council England. In 2005/06 £230,000; in 2006/07 they received £330,000; in 2007/08 they were to receive a total of £339,080.[1] Lighthouse is currently owned by the Poole Arts Trust Ltd.

Programming and types of shows

Lighthouse provides a wide-ranging programme, including:

Theatre

Concert hall

Studio
  • Small scale children's theatre
  • Small scale adult theatre

Cinema

Eclectic mix of world cinema, and recent releases normally presented 4–8 weeks after general release.

References
  1. Lighthouse, About us Archived 2009-01-04 at the UK Government Web Archive, The Arts Council of England, accessed 10-12-07
  2. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, accessed 10-12-07
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