Hall for Cornwall, a performing arts venue in Truro housing the largest theatre in Cornwall along with a cultural hub, have officially opened their Ope Way. The ceremony was completed by the Leader of Cornwall Council, Councillor, Linda Taylor, and Chair of National Lottery Heritage Fund London and South, Taryn Nixon.
The new auditorium, named Cornwall Playhouse, is a beautiful and flexible open space on three tiered-levels, providing a new dynamic relationship between performer and audience and enabling the organisation to deliver their artistic vision. The auditorium is seen as an open space, sitting within the granite box of the original marketplace walls visible from within the theatre space.
The auditorium is seen as an open space, sitting within the granite box of the original marketplace walls visible from within the theatre space.
From the very beginning, an essential element of our vision for the remodelling of the venue, which includes two Listed Buildings, was the creation of an ope – the tiny opening between tightly-packed buildings often found in Cornish fishing and mining communities. Cornwall Playhouse’s own spin on this tradition, The Ope Way is their name for the area at the back of the stalls in their new theatre, which connects the Playhouse Bar (and the Boscawen Street entrance) with the Green Room Café and Husa, their creative hub, (and the Back Quay entrance). It provides a shortcut between two Truro shopping streets, or a cut-through to the box office, or simply an excuse to have a nose at what’s happening in Cornwall Playhouse on any given day.
The official opening ceremony was completed by the Leader of Cornwall Council, Councillor Linda Taylor and the Chair of National Lottery Heritage Fund London and South, Taryn Nixon.
Heritage is in the bones of Hall For Cornwall. Situated within one of Truro’s most important civic buildings, City Hall, the theatre has many stories to tell. Memories whisper along the Ope Way and its many, varied uses course through the granite, terrazzo and oak which shape its current incarnation as a proud and newly transformed venue for Cornwall. From jail cells, to cinemas, fashion shows to skating rinks, the hall has hosted most of Cornwall on its stage or within its walls. The team at Hall for Cornwall aims to make this rich history engaging, immersive and interactive for all ages.
From 2018 to 2021, the theatre was closed for a comprehensive redevelopment, with a three-year heritage project running alongside it. Thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Revealing City Hall peeled back the layers of history and crafted stories, commissions and creative performances to share across Cornwall’s communities.
In tandem, the theatre’s new digital heritage collection has drawn together ephemera, photography and memories from City Hall, as donated from members of the public and researched at archives including Kresen Kernow and the Royal Cornwall Museum. The 800+ item collection includes posters, prints, maps and costumes, and serves as an overview of the building’s history and the role it has played at the heart of Truro.
Taryn Nixon, Chair of National Lottery Heritage Fund London and South, offered her congratulations on:
“an ambitious & visionary achievement! Wonderful spaces for Truro and Cornwall creatives, business & learning, and now the new Ope Way linking them all.”