Arts centre opens with extravaganza

GUERNSEY will host a two-week theatre, music and entertainment extravaganza to mark the opening of the performing arts centre. Productions ranging from The Tempest to Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals will feature at the multi-functional College of Further Education building.

Other events during the festival include a hip-hop dance workshop, a hair and make-up show and a jazz evening.

The new building, which took 18 months to finish, will allow Guernsey people to study for previously unavailable Btec performing arts diplomas from September.

'I'm very pleased it's finished,' said CFE principal Trevor Wakefield.

'The brief was to design a centre to be used in as many ways as possible - and I think they've done very well.

'Now it's been handed over to us, we can start using it.'

The three-level centre includes a dance studio, a black-box room for rehearsals and smaller performances and a green room cum IT centre.

Retractable seating in the main performance area means floor space in the high-tech building can be increased. The 300-seat theatre features an orchestra pit, stalls overlooking the main stage and a moveable lighting bridge.

Under the stage are dressing rooms and large storage areas for props and scenery.

College programme manager Maddie Hughes and centre administrator Kelly Luscombe were both delighted with the centre.

'It's wonderful - it looks fantastic,' said Ms Hughes.

'We put on a private performance of The Black Remote Thursday night and it went down really well with the audience.'

Ms Hughes, who is also a performing arts lecturer, will be teaching the new courses, which have attracted interest from full- and part-time students.

'I think there's a huge amount of interest in performing arts in Guernsey,' she said.

'The new centre will help the community to raise its profile and will allow young people to really promote themselves.'

She did not rule out bringing over big-name companies from abroad.

'There's a few things bubbling under the surface,' she said.

More than 400 island school children will be involved with the festival, taking part in different workshops during the day.