My beloved Theatre Royal, nestled in the historic heart of Winchester, holds a special place in my heart. I have proudly exhibited my paintings in the foyer and bar area on multiple occasions and I have painted live during many dress rehearsals and performances. To top it off my husband and I exchanged vows on that very stage, basking in the limelight on our wedding day!
History
I have had the pleasure of calling Winchester my home for the last 25 years. This small city in Hampshire in the south of England immediately captured my heart when I first moved here as an art student. Winchester is best known for its eleventh century Cathedral and for the Great Hall, which for over 700 years has housed the mysterious King Arthur’s Round Table.
In the heart of the beautiful medieval centre, you will find my beloved Theatre Royal. The building that we see today began life in 1850 as The Market Hotel. In 1914 it was changed into a cine variety theatre and later it was converted into a cinema. Fortunately, the building was saved from demolition in 1974 and it reopened as Theatre Royal Winchester four years later. Over the years it has been refurbished, extended and improved and today it is run by the wonderful charity Play to the Crowd, incorporating Theatre Royal Winchester, Hat Fair and Playmakers. The charity’s vision is to delight and unite and it has an extensive community and engagement and learning programme.
Saying “I do”!
When my husband and I were looking for a suitable venue to hold our civil ceremony, we were struggling to find anywhere local that could seat 150 guests. I discovered that it was possible to tie the knot on stage of the theatre and I was immediately sold. It was such a novel idea and I loved that all our guests would have a great view and front row seats. On September 9th 2006, Ben and I took centre stage at Theatre Royal Winchester, where we said “I do” in front of a very special audience made up solely of close family and dear friends.
It was the most joyous and incredible view I have ever seen. When I walked into the auditorium arm in arm with my dad, the audience erupted, and I received a standing ovation! I don’t think many brides have been greeted this way, when walking down the aisle.
Painting the theatre
Painting live at the theatre
As I embarked on my journey as a live event artist, I had the privilege of attending numerous WMOS and Encore Youth Theatre dress rehearsals. Setting up my easel right in front of the stage, I had the opportunity to capture the essence of the characters through paint. The paintings would then be offered for sale, and I am pleased to say that they were always very popular with the cast and family members.
Filming at the theatre
A few years ago, I commissioned Muse Motion Pictures to create a promo video for my website. We were looking for a suitable venue for the shoot, ideally close to home. I approached Chief Executive Deryck Newland of Theatre Royal and he kindly let us use the theatre foyer. We had a very productive day filming, and I am so pleased with the result.
A special retirement gift commission
In June this year Theatre Royal Winchester held a special combined birthday and retirement party for their wonderful Technical Manager, Spatz Crawford, who turned 70 and was taking well-deserved retirement after 23 years of loyal service.
I was commissioned to create a painting of Spatz as a leaving gift. During one of the last set ups, I pretended to be creating social media content, so I could film Spatz and his colleagues, without anyone noticing. I used the footage as reference to create a painting of Spatz and the team in my studio. I like how the stage looks quite dark and untidy, so I have tried to capture this unpolished look in the painting.
It is pretty obvious that Theatre Royal Winchester holds a special place in my heart. I feel incredibly lucky that it is just a short bike ride from our home and I get to enjoy the most wonderful performances and shows in such an intimate setting.
