Exciting times for new director at Theatre Royal
Sophie Denney has become theatre director at Theatre Royal Brighton at a time of great excitement and challenge.
Taking over last summer from John Baldock who steppeddownafter18yearsat the venue, Sophie finds herself in charge of a venue in the midst of an extensive multimillion pound improvement project, including the restoration of the Grade II* façade, returning it to its original terracotta splendour, as well as upgrades to electrics, plumbing, wifi and seating. The last major structural work at Theatre Royal Brighton was in 1927.
Sophie has been with Ambassador Theatre Group since 2012 and has worked in avarietyofroles,departments and venues, most recently as theatre director at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – a venue which couldn't possibly be more different to Brighton which is more than 200 years older.
“I have been part of Ambassador Theatre Group for 11 years but I was a sailing instructor in my youth. I was teaching sailing and I just loved the sea. I got to know Southampton and Brighton and right across the whole of the south coast and so I have very fond memories of being here and spending days out down here. But with Ambassador Theatre Group, I also spent some time working centrallyandwewouldvisithere.I remembercomingdownhere and meeting my predecessor. Obviously all theatres have a very special feeling but with this one you really feel the warmthandyoureallyfeelthe passion. Since I've been here I've really loved working with a phenomenal team. It goes right across the board, every single individual that works here.
“And Brighton was definitely top of my list of the venues that I wanted to run. I was atatheatreinAylesburywhich
is only 12 years old and was very,verydifferent,verymodern with lifts and lots of storage space and all brand new.”
Brighton Theatre Royal by contrast is 215 years old and with all the challenges that go with a venue of that age: “But it has just been amazing being here, especially as we are doingquitealargerestoration right at the front of the building. The whole facade is being stripped back and redone. It was originally terracotta but over the last 100 years it has been painted. In about 1927 when they did the last big refurbishment they painted it white and it looked good for a while but the paint gets absorbed by the terracotta and the terracotta starts to crumble. So all the terracotta has come off. We have got about 850 individual tiles currently being baked and these will be slowly and individually put in place in the facade. We are on track to finish the facade in about March. Most of the terracotta should be finalised in the early part of the year.”
It is challenging but it is also exciting: “You are always goingtohavechallengesinthe older venues especially when youhavecomefromanewone. It is never going to be simple and however much you scope out the project there will alwaysbethingsyoufindatalater date, and that's something we'vegonethroughquiteafew times in the last few months.
“But I just love working in a theatre. I spend a large part of my job with my head in spreadsheets but come 7pm every single evening you can go into the foyer and watch an excited group of people waiting to see a show and then at 9.30 or 10pm you hear this glorious round of applause for everyone on stage but also foreveryonewhoisworkingin the building. It's really uplifting.” As Sophie says, so much research has established the important part that arts and entertainmentcanplayinour mentalhealth:“There'sahuge impact that we can make on people's lives and that's really rewarding – and you can't get awayfromthatwhenyouhear the applause!”