Mill Theatre Extension Project

1st June 2013

Thurso Thespians

The Thurso Players bring a rare experience of theatre to audiences along Scotland’s northern coast. The company puts on a varied, year-round programme of performances and workshops for adults and children. Itowns and manages the Mill Theatre.

Operating out of a historic water mill has its downside. The Players addressed this by designing a three-storey extension which provided a more welcoming entrance for audiences and made the building fully accessible to disabled people including actors and stagehands.

LEADER matched their fund raising efforts.

‘It is a fitting use of funding like LEADER to ensure that a historic, Caithness vernacular, building is retained while meeting modern access standards.’

The glazed entrance and box office area increase the public’s awareness that the building is a theatre as well as providing full disabled access. The Mill Theatre looks forward to meeting its target of increasing audiences by a fifth and promoting the area’s rich artistic culture in Gaelic and English.

LEADER contribution: £23,000 (25%) towards total project costs of £90,000.

For more information on Highland LEADER, see www.highlandleader.com
To request a copy of the new ‘Revitalising Communities in the Highlands’ booklet please contact Planning and Development Service, The Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX.

Web Site - www.thursoplayers.org.uk