Belgrade Theatre

The Belgrade Theatre is the largest professional theatre in Coventry, run by Belgrade Theatre Trust (BTT). Their mission statement reads:

In our landmark building, across the region, the UK and online, we will use theatre to entertain, inspire, share the city’s stories, uncover hidden histories and unleash the creativity in our communities.

Their main auditorium accommodates just over 850 people, and their second space has a capacity of 250. As well as producing and presenting work for these stages, the Belgrade Theatre has an extensive programme of education and participatory work.

Turnover has fluctuated between £6 million and £7 million over recent years owing to the capital works, Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and the Coventry City of Culture year. The average number of people employed in the year 202½2 was 107.

Project facts

The Belgrade Theatre’s £5.5 million capital project was conducted in three separate phases. Phases 1 and 2 involved works to the main theatre building and were contracted and managed by BTT. Phase 1 involved a relatively short closure for works on the main auditorium, which included a replacement of the seating and flooring, improvements to the security and safety of the orchestra pit, updating the auditorium electrics and plan, and installing a mesh grid in the ceiling. Phase 2’s subsequent closure for works focused on the ancillary trading activities, including a complete refurbishment of the cafe/bar and restaurant and catering facilities, and a reconfiguration of the layout to better attract commercial hires.

Phase 3 included the development and fit out of a separate space in a different building called The Jag and the project was organised and delivered differently. This case study foregrounds the works of Phase 3.

Client for Phase 3: Complex Development Projects

End user: Belgrade Theatre Coventry

Location: Coventry city centre

Design team:

• Bryant Priest Newman - BPN Architects 
• Project Managers (for BTT) - Tandem Projects & New Stages Ltd
• Main contractors -THWG Ltd
• Mechanical Engineers - Halligan Associates Ltd
• Quantity Surveyors - Ridge and Partners
• Structural Engineer – Frank W Haywood & Associates Ltd

Build time: 12 months; work started on site in December 2020 and completed in December 2021.

Cost of Phase 3: £1.2 million

Sources of funding: City of Culture Capital Fund, Arts Council England Capital, Wolfson Foundation (fit-out)

Procurement strategy: ‘The works were competitively tendered by CDP as a single stage design and build contract.’

General description of works

The works created a flexible new work/performance and conference space within the former derelict Jaguar Public House and involved an alteration to an existing apartment to the rear of the pub to split it into two flats. This was part of the developer’s wider scheme involving the construction of a mixed-use five-storey extension (accommodating a commercial restaurant/bar and 14 apartments) and landscaping of the pocket park next door.

The pub rooms were refitted with an ‘as found’ interior with exposed concrete and brick, with a downstairs basement capacity of 100 people for small-scale performances and immersive work. The ground floor has a workshop style area which has a deliberately flexible configuration to accommodate meetings, workspaces and storage, offering access from the street and a new lift. The venue has been fitted out with a ‘plug and play’ approach, with high-speed cable connections capable of supporting fast upload/download speeds for digital content and enabling immersive and other digitally enabled experiences.

Case study

The Belgrade Theatre is not the only organisation to deliver its mission across multiple sites in one locale. It is, however, an interesting example owing to its very particular civic and institutional presence in Coventry. The main theatre, situated on the Belgrade Plaza in the city centre, was an important element of the post-war reconstruction of Coventry and was the first civic theatre in Britain to be built after World War II. Its name is derived from a gift of timber from Serbia. The Jag is only 100 metres away but is part of a mixed residential and commercial building; the separation and distinctly different feel (both scale and fit out) is deliberate because it aims to engage a different community to that of the main building.

The logic of expanding the Belgrade’s operation outside of the existing footprint was strengthened by a convergence of factors:

• The accelerated opportunities presented by the year as Capital of Culture, and Coventry’s intentions around a legacy of social change. As Laura Elliot, CEO, explains, “Coventry City of Culture was unique in terms of art for social change and this is very much the vision we bring and are working on. The legacy of the year continues in the co-curation of the space with our communities, whether for health, wellbeing or creative activities. The Jag is a space where this is possible.”
• The appointment of a new leadership team at the theatre, who wanted to direct their passion, experience and expertise to reaching out to new audiences across Coventry.
• The experience and momentum gained by BTT in deploying digital technology, particularly with younger audiences, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
• City and region-wide ambitions around innovation and 5G technologies (including participation in the West Midlands 5G Testbed), and a desire to build mass and create a suitable hub for creative workers and companies.

The Jag project was seen to answer a number of drivers:

• A desire to offer a different experience to communities less confident or willing to visit the main building, particularly (but not exclusively) young people. BTT has been exploring different approaches to initial engagement through existing offsite engagement work and initiatives – such as working with ‘at risk’ young people in Extended Learning Centres (ELC), involving young people excluded from formal education. Local young people have contributed to the design, positioning and programming of the space.
• To have an additional space in which to experiment and take artistic risks. While considerably smaller than the main auditorium, Belgrade’s second space – B2 – has a capacity of 250 which means the degree of financial exposure from shows is still relatively high. The Jag offers a more cost-effective route to developing and testing daring new work, as well as being stylistically more appropriate. It is also designed with talent development activity in mind, with a focus on ‘future forms.’
• The new space is fitted out specifically to allow for emerging technologies to be (artistically) deployed. The 5G enabled ‘plug and play’ model is deliberate futureproofing for a fast-moving world.
• The intention to increase financial sustainability for BTT by finding new routes to commercial income beyond conventional activities of ancillary trading. The Jag will operate as a social enterprise, with the rental income secured from the flats behind the Jag contributing to the Trust’s overall viability. The space is deliberately designed for flexibility and can be used for short films, stand-up comedy, poetry and music as well as for commercial hires.

The early months of operation

The Belgrade team have spent the first year testing their way into the most appropriate uses of the upstairs space, while the downstairs space has been going through snagging issues. The building was handed over in December 2021, with the first year providing rehearsal space for new work and local artists as well as renting out the flats. The whole space will open fully in autumn 2023 as a ‘future forms’ storytelling space to develop artists of the future, for the future.

The Jag will be a safe place to explore, and intended outcomes include the development of new audiences, new local artists, and pioneers in future forms and new ways of working, and that the community will be able to identify their new forms of work with a physical space. The Jag, combined with BTT’s digital frameworks, will meet the need for digital upskilling, discovering future forms, and improving mental health and wellbeing. BTT intend to use the space for a range of activities including the home for BTT’s Youth Forum, work with ELCs, Youth Ensemble (who will shape the ongoing direction of the space), the Media Academy supported by Paul Hamlyn, Next Generation Labs (a transferable skills programme for non-theatre artists – those who don’t see theatre as their own), and LIVE LAB: Theatre Artists (those who identify as theatre makers/creators).

Over the next few years, they will be testing the most effective ways:

• BTT can partner with others in Coventry and beyond to work on new ways to tell stories
• creative opportunities can be developed for linking thematic programme content
• the distinctiveness of the building and its creative offer will help draw new and different audiences to see theatrical work, with a positive effect on the overall perception of the theatre and its role in the community
• a separate space can function as a pathway into the activities in the main theatre building, in a way that is complementary to long-standing outreach, education and participatory activities
• The Jag can function as a financial contributor within the overall Trust model
• The Jag offer adds critical mass and opportunity to the task of growing, future-facing, technology-enabled creative industries in Coventry

Need this information in a different format? Get in touch.