THE ‘new’ Theatre Colwyn will open again for business next month.
The Colwyn Bay theatre shut down last October ahead of a £738,000 revamp and the official opening in October will be fronted by Monty Python star Terry Jones.
He will be joined by stand up celebrity and Never Mind the Buzzcocks team captain Phill Jupitus, who will launch the new season.
The building will be formally re-opened on October 15 by Terry Jones whose family have close ties with the theatre.
Last year he came back to the town to host a fundraising screening of The Life of Brian. The re-opening event will involve a Monty Python afternoon, including a screening of their 1975 Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Terry said: “Theatr Colwyn means a lot to me because my grandfather conducted the orchestra for the Colwyn Bay Operatic Society there and my mother and uncle both trod the boards on that very stage.”
The theatre was built in 1885 and is the oldest working cinema in the UK and both the oldest civic theatre in Wales and the oldest working theatre in Wales.
It now has a redesigned entrance with the original Victorian brickwork restored, as well as disabled access into and around the building, ground floor bar, new offices, relocated box office, community room and front of house to backstage link corridor.
Phil Batty, the theatre’s manager, said: “We are sure that our patrons will be impressed with the way the redevelopment has been carried out and we look forward to welcoming many new visitors for the first time too.”
He said the new programme of events ranged from ballet to drama along with Welsh language productions, culminating with Jack and the Beanstalk as the Christmas family pantomime.
The first production to take to the stage following the reopening will be Godspell, performed by Contrast Theatre Company, with performances on September 14, 15 and 16.
Tickets for this show are on sale now, with proceeds from the afternoon split between St David’s Hospice and Theatr Colwyn’s redevelopment fund.
Further reopening celebrations involving the community are also being planned.
Tickets for the Terry Jones event are on sale via the box office on 01492 872000.