Buxton Opera House is tops!

Buxton Opera House & Pavilion Art Centre has been voted the ‘Most Welcoming Theatre in the East Midlands’ it has been announced today. Out of 256 theatres that signed up to take part in My Theatre Matters! Most Welcoming Theatre Award 2015 in Association with Smooth Radio, Buxton Opera House has been confirmed as one of the 12 regional winners.

Buxton Opera House & Pavilion Arts Centre along with the other regional and national winners including Hackney Empire and Newcastle Theatre Royal, will be invited to the UK Theatre Awards ceremony on Sunday 18 October, where the overall winner will be announced, based on the highest number of votes. The Awards will take place at London’s historic Guildhall, a magnificent medieval Grade 1 listed landmark building situated in the City of London.

Simon Glinn, Chief Executive of Buxton Opera House and Pavilion Arts Centre, said: “We are delighted to be recognised as the ‘Most Welcoming Theatre in the East Midlands;’ and this is a tribute to the tremendous work of our front of house and sales staff, and in particular to the dedication of our team of 190 volunteers who contribute so generously to our customers’ experience. We aim to provide a world class service in exceptional venues, the  glorious Edwardian Opera House and our exciting contemporary Arts Centre providing a theatre setting to rival the finest. We enjoy an extraordinary  level of community support and are very grateful to our loyal audience members, local businesses and partner organisations who voted for us and showed that our theatres matter.”

Rachel Tackley, President of UK Theatre, said: “We have been delighted to see the tremendous level of support for theatres across the United Kingdom.  This year’s contest, with the support of Smooth Radio, has been the biggest yet with more venues taking part than ever before.  Theatres play a hugely valuable role in our local communities and this vote, along with the My Theatre Matters! campaign, provides a platform for the public to tell their stories about how important their local venue is to them.”

Paul Phear, Smooth Radio presenter, said: “UK theatres are among the most iconic in the world so it is very exciting to honour the best venues across the nation. The awards are even more special because it is the audiences, as well as Smooth Radio listeners, who have chosen the winners.”

The UK Theatre Awards are the only awards which celebrate outstanding achievement in theatre throughout the United Kingdom.

The full list of nominations for the UK Theatre Awards 2015 is available online at www.uktheatre.org