During his visit to Romiley on Wednesday 15th May as part of an incredible 80th Birthday tour, Sir Ian McKellen was delighted to announce at the end of his one man show that enough funding had been raised to install brand new auditorium seating at The Forum Theatre.
A total of £115,000 was needed for the project, which will include a brand new fully retractable and travelling system for 230 seats together, with a further 200 floor seats to allow the venue to maintain its capacity and versatility.
Grants had been pledged from The Arts Council, The Garfield Western Foundation and The Foyle Foundation leaving NK Theatre Arts with a shortfall of approximately £11,500 to secure the project. This co-incided with the thrilling opportunity for the venue to host the one man show by Sir Ian McKellen, who chose the venue as his family were from Romiley and he was also Christened in the Village as a young boy.
Enough money was raised through the box office take, with tickets for the show selling out within 3 hours of their release, plus NK Theatre Arts benefitted from sales of the Souvenir Brochure and a bucket collection, headed by Sir Ian after the performance with money collected going towards the cost of a new dance floor for our members.
Sir Ian was thrilled at his show being able to play such a crucial part in the fundraising process and he said he hoped the investment for the Charity would allow them to continue to work with local children and young people through performing arts and allow them to “fall in love with theatre” as he did as a young boy.
Everyone associated with NK are extremely grateful for the support of Sir Ian and his team and will be forever thankful for this unique opportunity. We wish him the very best of luck with the rest of his tour, it certainly was an amazing experience for those audience members lucky enough to see him live on stage right here in Stockport.
The installation of the new seating is set to take place over the summer, ready for the new season at The Forum which starts in September.
Also there were rumours of his walk around Stockport town centre and a visit to see the new Produce Hall in the Market Place !
