At a public launch last night Board members and senior staff of Newhampton Arts Centre unveiled ambitious plans to improve and expand the centre’s facilities over the next decade.

They launched NAC 2050 which over the next decade will see every space on the former Wolverhampton Municipal Grammar School site refurbished. Naomi Fisher of APEC Architect presented plans that included:

• The restoration of the historic front entrance facing onto Newhampton Road and West Park.
• A completely new theatre space on the site of the current theatre and toilet block that will have enhanced backstage facilities, a larger stage and increased audience capacity.
• The first repairs to the roof over the heritage buildings onsite in over a century to stop the leaks and improve its environmental efficiency as well as improved reception, bar and café spaces.

These plans have been made possible by the resolution of the long-term ownership of the site. NAC is about to sign a long-term lease agreement with Wolverhampton City Council and with this security can start fund-raising in earnest. Central government money from the Towns Fund has already enabled investment into immediate and critical buildings issues such as heating systems and toilets, but the improvements require external funding.

The event also saw staff reflect on the achievements of the past twenty-five years of operation from its opening in 2000 to the present day. Highlights included of course the legendary Blur gig in 2016, the much-loved folk music and jazz programmes, as well as community arts projects such as Paint The Day and regular children’s and community art festivals that have become a fixture in the city’s arts calendar.

NAC is home to over thirty creative businesses as well as being the city’s leading intimate music venue. Members of Central Youth theatre, Wolverhampton Dhol drummers, local musician Etan Danbury and storyteller Peter Chand provided entertainment on the night.

To reflect its current role as the arts centre for the city, the board also announced that from the start of May it would become Wolverhampton Arts Centre. This new name would reflect its activities more accurately and make it easier to understand where it was and what it did.

Trevelyan Wright, CEO said:

“Through twenty-five years of hard work we've made ourselves Wolverhampton's arts centre. It's the perfect time, as we plan the next twenty-five years, to recognise this and include the city in our name. “

Wendy Stephens, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said:

“It’s been a fabulous evening with many friends and colleagues who have known NAC and supported it for decades. We’re hugely excited by these plans and will be asking all those who want us to be here in the city for the next twenty-five years to support us over the coming months and years.”

Physical and digital updates across the website and social media to reflect the new name will start to roll out in late April.