 The space inside The Round | |
| Address | Lime Street, Ouseburn Newcastle upon Tyne UK |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54°58′23″N1°36′47″W / 54.973°N 1.613°W |
| Current use | The Cluny 2 (2009-) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2007 |
| Closed | 2008 |
| Architect | John Dobson |
The Round was a theatre-in-the-round in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The region's first theatre-in-the-round, [1] it specialised in theatre for children and young people. The Round opened in September 2007, and was home to the Bruvvers Theatre Company. [2]
The Ouseburn Valley is the name of the valley of the Ouseburn, a small tributary of the River Tyne, running southwards through the east of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The name refers particularly to the urbanised lower valley, spanned by three impressive bridges, which is nowadays a cultural and social oasis close to the centre of Newcastle.
Newcastle upon Tyne, commonly known as Newcastle, is a city in Tyne and Wear, North East England, 103 miles (166 km) south of Edinburgh and 277 miles (446 km) north of London on the northern bank of the River Tyne, 8.5 mi (13.7 km) from the North Sea. Newcastle is the most populous city in the North East, and forms the core of the Tyneside conurbation, the eighth most populous urban area in the United Kingdom. Newcastle is a member of the UK Core Cities Group and is a member of the Eurocities network of European cities.
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The building in which The Round was housed is a former flax mill designed by John Dobson in 1848. The 180-seat theatre slotted behind a listed facade in a courtyard space between warehouses on Lime Street. [2]
John Dobson was a 19th-century English architect in the neoclassical tradition. He became the most noted architect in the North of England. Churches and houses by him dot the North East - Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn, Northumberland, and Beaufront Castle among them. During his career he designed more than 50 churches and 100 private houses. However, he is best known for designing Newcastle railway station and for his work with Richard Grainger developing the centre of Newcastle in a neoclassical style.
The Round was conceived by the Bruvvers Theatre Company artistic director Mike Mould who bought the derelict Cluny building in 1982 with the intention of creating a theatre within its walls. [2] In 2005, Mould sent a letter to his friends asking each to donate £1 to help fund the cost of building the theatre. Bruvvers director and television scriptwriter Julie Blackie suggested alternative methods of fundraising. [2]
The Cluny is a 300-capacity live music venue, pub and café, on Lime Street, in the Ouseburn Valley area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Based in a former flax spinning mill, The Cluny occupies part of the wider building at 36 Lime Street, sharing the space with artists, offices and recording studios. The Cluny is a regular fixture in the top 100 list of World’s Best Bars, and is currently the only pub in Newcastle upon Tyne to make the list.
The theatre had one wall with a fixed block of 40 seats and three balconies, with the remaining seats moveable according to the needs of each production According to the company, there was "one main route onto the stage for the performers, but also a few secret passages to add an element of surprise." [2]
The company filed for voluntary liquidation in May 2008, just eight months after its launch. The Round Theatre had been built with capital funding from a consortium of parties in the Ouseburn district of Newcastle but had failed to secure funding for programming or administrative costs. Directors Jeannie Adams and Julie Blackie decided to cease trading and begin liquidation proceedings. Average houses of just 52% fell far short of the 70% capacity the company had budgeted to break even. [3]
