Fareham Live

Theatreplan was engaged by Fareham Borough Council to provide theatre planning and technical theatre consultancy for the upgrading of Ferneham Hall, renamed Fareham Live. The theatre dates from the early 1980s but needed renovation, expansion and modernisation as the customer offer was limited and physical accessibility was poor.

Collaborating with architects FCBStudios, Theatreplan undertook a thorough review of the existing theatre. We engaged with the council and the technical team to fully understand their aspirations for the refurbished venue and to gain a clear picture of what they felt was needed to improve and develop it, making it suitable for the 21st Century. A key driver was to make the venue a community hub and ensure it would be sustainable - both technically and operationally - for the future whilst also retaining as many original features as possible. Beyond the main auditorium, this included adding a new studio theatre and dance studio/breakout room and reconfiguring the foyer and bar areas.

Theatreplan was responsible for evaluating and designing changes to the stage and seating layouts, both of which were restricting programming options. The 706-seat theatre was expanded to 800 seats, with excellent visibility from all positions ensured. We also advised changes to the auditorium and ancillary spaces, to make the venue more welcoming and accessible and enhance visitor experience. Finally, we led on all technical infrastructure planning and system design, including stage engineering, lighting, sound, AV, and digital services.

The Rocky Horror Show, starring Jason Donovan, launched the new venue in October 2024. This was a touring version of a large-scale production which the original theatre would have been unable to stage, but which proved to be an enormous success and a positive fresh start for the venue.