Reading Rep
Nominated for Putting Reading on the Map sponsored by Jacobs/Purple Turtle
Reading’s newest theatre venue is up for the Putting Reading on the Map award, sponsored by Jacob the Jewellers and the Purple Turtle.
Raising the profile of our town has been at the heart of Reading Rep’s mission since it first started 10 years ago, said the nomination.
The theatre is developing at a phenomenal pace and, as the town’s only professional producing venue.
It now attracts some of the UK’s leading creatives, collaborating and co-producing with theatres including Arcola Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, the Watermill, and with the recently announced transfer of their original production of Jekyll & Hyde to the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh.
“With shows regularly receiving four and five-star reviews from national critics, Reading Rep is becoming synonymous with quality theatre, so audiences are finally coming to our town to see the best plays, rather than taking trips to Oxford, Bristol and London from Reading,” the nominator added.
Reading Rep’s profile was raised even further in October 2022 when its achievements were recognised by the royal patronage of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, says the nomination.
He particularly praised not just the influential productions but also the theatre’s commitment to creating career pathways for young people, regardless of background; the flagship ENGAGE outreach programme which brings in new audiences; and the opening of a new creative venue – a finalist for Building of the Year at The Stage Awards – all at a time when other well-established theatres were forced to close their doors.
Reading Rep has always created work in Reading and for Reading, and its new venue and recent successes make it the perfect platform for the rest of the country to stand up and take notice!, the nominator added.
