The Seagull is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

Pakefield Pakefield is a suburb of the town of Lowestoft in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around south of the centre of the town. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1774. Pakefield has boundaries with Carlton Colville and ...

, a suburb of

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, run almost entirely by volunteers from the local community. It plays host to regional and national touring theatre companies as well as films and other acts, and runs its own production company known as The Seagull Rep. The slogan for The Seagull is "Transforming the Community through the Arts". The venue has a main auditorium seating of 112Caesar.
Abi Titmuss hits the stage in Macbeth
''The Times Online'', 2009-11-22. Retrieved 2011-04-02. including space for wheelchair users, as well as a recording studio, dance studio and bar. The venue also has on-site car parking.

History

The building is of Victorian origin and was previously the site of the Morton Road School from 1897 to 1939.The Seagull Theatre Lowestoft
''Music and Events'', 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2011-04-02.''Save Our Seagull: an artistic vision for the community''
Save Our Seagull. Retrieved 2011-04-02. It never reopened as a school after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was used as an annex to

Lowestoft College East Coast College is a Further Education (FE) college which has campuses in Lowestoft, Suffolk and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Following a six-month pilot area review in 2014, it was proposed that the merger of Great Yarmouth College and Lowestoft C ...

from 1945 as a centre for coachbuilding and engineering courses. The building was converted into a theatre in 1967 and opened as The Seagull.

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. History Establ ...

, which owned the theatre, withdrew funding in 2006 as a result of budget cuts and the venue closed.Battle to save popular theatre is won
''East Anglian Daily Times'', 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2011-04-02.Quinn.M (2007
Supporters rejoice as Lowestoft’s Seagull gets £250,000 lifeline
''The Stage'', 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2011-04-02.No more free food for council chiefs
''Eastern Daily Press'', 2006-08-25. Retrieved 2011-04-02.Seagull is flying again
''East Coast Live'', 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2011-04-02. As a result, The SOS ('Save our Seagull') Charity Trust Group was formed with patrons including actress

Dame Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

, actor Des Barrit and regional broadcaster

Helen McDermott Helen McDermott (born 24 March 1954) is a British radio and television presenter, best known for her work at Anglia Television. McDermott began her broadcasting career in the 1970s as a continuity announcer and newsreader for Westward Television ...

.Dame Judi backs theatre campaign
''BBC News website'', 2007-01-19. Retrieved 2011-04-02. The campaign was also backed by author

Louis de Bernières Louis de Bernières (born 8 December 1954) is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin''. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a pr ...

.Author Joins Outcry Over Theatre Closure
''Eastern Daily Press'', 2006-09-09. Retrieved 2011-04-03. In 2007 the council sold The Seagull for an estimated £250,000Theatre thrown a lifeline
''East Anglian Daily Times'', 2006-11-13. Retrieved 2011-04-02. and it was reopened in October 2007 with a gala performance by jazz singer

Liane Carroll Liane Carroll (born 9 February 1964, London) is an English vocalist, pianist and keyboardist. Jazz critic Dave Gelly of ''The Observer'' has described her as "one of the most stylistically flexible pianists around, with a marvellous, slightl ...

.Rescued theatre reopens
''Eastern Daily Press'', 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2011-04-02. It is currently undergoing continued renovation and has received investment in the form of new technical equipment. A 2009 production of ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' featured former model Abi Titmuss as

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...

,Kendall.P (2009
Abi Titmuss: Glamour girl to Lady Macbeth
''The Telegraph'', 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2011-04-02.From the wards to the boards
''BBC News website'', 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2011-04-02.Taking Macbeth to the nightclubs
''BBC News website'', 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2011-04-02. while in 2010 singer

Jessie Buckley Jessie Buckley (born 28 December 1989) is an Irish actress and singer. The recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards, she was listed at number 38 on ''The Irish Times'' list of ...

from the BBC TV show '' I'd Do Anything'' performed at the theatre.Jessie all set for Seagull
''Lowestoft Journal'', 2010-04-16 . Retrieved 2011-04-03. In 2011 folk musician

Jez Lowe John Gerard "Jez" Lowe (born 14 July 1955) is an English folk singer-songwriter. Lowe was born and raised in County Durham, in a family with Irish roots. He is known primarily for his compositions dealing with daily life in North-East England, ...

from

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

did a show at the theatre,Oscar Wilde classic play at The Seagull
''Lowestoft Journal'', 2011-04-01 . Retrieved 2011-04-27. as did the

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

and

folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

Richard Digance Richard Digance (pronounced DYE-jance; born 24 February 1949) is an English comedian and folk singer. Early life Digance was born in Plaistow, East London. After his family moved to nearby East Ham, he attended Vicarage Lane Primary Sch ...

in 2015.Richard Digance at the Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft (2015)
/ref> Today the theatre hosts a varied programme of plays, concerts, charity events, films and live music shows throughout the year showcasing local talent and regional and national touring theatre companies, musicians and entertainers. In addition to the 112 seat Auditorium the theatre operates three studios for dance and acting schools, rehearsal and performance space. The theatre receives no funding except what it raises through its own activities; the staff includes two paid employees and about 50 volunteers.

Gallery

File:Seagull Theatre Bar.jpg, The Theatre Bar File:Seagull Theatre Studio1.jpg, A dance studio

References

External links

The Seagull
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seagull, The Lowestoft Theatres in Suffolk Cinemas in Suffolk