Nottingham based theatre company and cultural studio, Nonsuch, today announce their brand new creative studio venue, set to open this Spring. Nonsuch Studios will be an expansion of the company’s existing rehearsal and event space offer, currently based on Clarendon Street, where they’ve been located since 2015. The heart of the space will be the new 110 seater studio theatre and performance space, the only independent space of its kind in Nottingham.
Nonsuch Studios is set to cover 9000 square feet, increasing studio and rehearsal rooms to 5 individual spaces. The space will also include a cafe/bar, and will provide office and creative co-working space for artists, producers and creatives alike. The new studios will be located at a former signage distribution centre at 92 Lower Parliament Street at the bottom of Hockley, in the city centre and the heart of Nottingham’s Creative Quarter.
In this new performance space, an exciting programme will bring together the best of theatre, performance, dance, comedy, cabaret, music and film to Nottingham. The venue will also act as a hub venue for local festivals, conferences and events. Top Nottingham artists will be presented alongside national and international artists, as well as work created by Nonsuch themselves.
The new space will also facilitate an ongoing commitment from the company to support work from local and emerging artists. To date Nonsuch have provided over 900-hours of free rehearsal space and consultation to artists through East Midland's artist development programme ‘In Good Company’, of which Nonsuch themselves were initially a benefactor, and now are partners of the programme supporting the work of the future.
The new workshop spaces will also house many of Nonsuch’s community projects and programmes, including their youth theatres, community company and creative wellbeing programmes such as ‘Womanuel’ - a programme supporting women with experience of homelessness from Emmanuel House.
In order to undergo the development of the space, Nonsuch Studios has secured £90,000 worth of social investment from the Key Fund, and other key partnerships.
CEO & Artistic Director of Nonsuch Edward Boott said:
“This is a big step up for theatre and performance in Nottingham and one we are delighted to be taking ahead of our sixth birthday this year. Nonsuch Studios will allow us and the artists we work with to raise our cultural ambitions, and most importantly get even more great art seen by Nottingham’s audiences.”
He adds:
“I set Nonsuch up as a young drama school graduate and would have loved access to a space such as this one. I’m keen that this new space serves as a springboard for untapped talent from across the country, and also attracts high calibre touring shows which may not have been able to visit Nottingham before.”
Nonsuch Studios will officially open in April, but there will be a number of taster events that will be announced over the coming weeks. Confirmed so far is the award-winning Drip by Boundless Theatre direct from The Bush Theatre in London, Silent Uproar’s A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad), Nottingham-based family theatre company Ditto’s Edinburgh Fringe Underbelly Untapped Award nominated Rocket Girl, Nonsuch Young Performer Training’s production of Start Swimming, and Nonsuch’s show for babies, intotheclouds.
