BACK TO THE BOXOFFICE CAMPAIGN: Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
In the west of the county, the stunning Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells has been at the heart of the community for more than 40 years
In the west of the county, the stunning Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells has been at the heart of the community for more than 40 years.
Standing tall in the middle of Tunbridge Wells, the Trinity Theatre is an amazing example of an arts centre that puts community at its heart. Built 200 years ago and designed by renowned English architect Decimus Burton, the former church was saved in the 70s by locals when the diocese announced it was no longer needed as a place of worship.
It was converted to an arts centre by the town’s civic society and the Trinity Theatre Company - which still exists today and will be putting on its own version of The Calendar Girls this year - and its first show went on stage in 1982.
“First of all, it’s important to note that it is a charity and we are located in a church,” says Trinity’s audience development manager Katie Jenkins. “Some people still think it’s a church and they’re quite mystified as to what happens inside, and they’re surprised to know we have an amazing auditorium with raised seats and we’re working really hard to drive awareness and make sure people realise what an asset they have in the heart of the town.”
The pandemic was, of course, horrendous for all arts outlets and it took crisis fundraising efforts and the love of the community to once again stop Trinity from closing its doors. But it’s fair to say that the theatre has not looked back since.
“We’re seeing audience numbers growing and growing,” says Katie. “We’ve just had our biggest box office month ever and we’re seeing more first-time bookers, which is amazing.”
Set in the Grade II-listed building, the charity is responsible for the maintenance of the church, which is all paid for by fundraising, supporters and surplus on the box-office-earned revenue.
“By buying a ticket to any of the amazing cinematic or artistic programmes, it enables us to then take creative arts into groups in the community at low or zero cost and meet our charitable objectives.”
After a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Board, a huge restoration project was completed in October last year, with the church’s clock tower now open, allowing the public to climb the 118 steps to the top and look over the views of the town, while there’s also an exhibition describing the history of Trinity.
But that’s not the only new thing at the centre.
“We have one auditorium that seats 279 people and we pull the full-scale 4K screen down in front of the stage,” says Katie. “We had a new projector last year, so we have a better picture and a better 7.1 sound system.
“We also have a new heating system - these absolutely incredible heating halos that hang down, and they’re beautiful and sustainable and they heat very quickly. Investments like that make it a more comfortable, enjoyable experience.”
Known for its ability to attract top-name comedians (Dylan Moran, Mark Watson, Angela Barnes and Josh Widdicombe all play there this year), Trinity has also really pushed its film offering to new levels. As the only cinema in the centre of town, it offers mid-afternoon and evening showings and will this year be screening 10 of the Oscar-nominated films as well as the BAFTA- and Golden Globe-recommended pictures.
“We want more people to realise that, on a Sunday afternoon at 5:30 say, they could walk to a cinema, have a pint beforehand in our cafe bar and then sit in comfort and watch a film with incredible sound and picture quality on a huge screen,” says Katie.
“We’ve tweaked the programming and we also have our independent cinema selections. One of our team, Hugh Brown, the cinema programmer, is a film buff but also attends the festivals. He really looks at what’s going to be popular but also noting we’re an independent cinema and we can vary our programme to bring films to the town that might not be on people’s radar.”
Trinity also uses the CinemaLive brand to bring some of the world’s most popular musicals to the screen and has already booked in the likes of Billy Elliot, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera in 2025.
Being accessible on both programming and pricing, as well as offering something for everyone across the centre, is hugely important to Trinity.
“We have our youth theatre [ages five to 21], which is always oversubscribed and puts on numerous incredible productions,” says Katie. “We’ve just had the auditions for Little Mermaid, which we will be performing over Easter.”
There is also a cafe bar open six days a week, as well as a gallery space where both local and touring artists exhibit every month.
“For us, it’s also about opening up people’s eyes to entertainment and live entertainment and enabling a passage for people to come in and out of Trinity, and having something for everyone at different life stages.”
Community really does sit at the heart of the arts centre, with the small team of employees boosted by more than 100 volunteers.
“Our box office is completely volunteer, all our ushers and front-of-house managers,” says Katie. “They are the beating heart of our organisation. And again, it just kind of shows you what spirit there is in independent local art centres.”
INFO: trinitytheatre.net
INSTA: @trinitytheatretw
