In pictures: New era for the White Rock Theatre at Hastings

There was a big celebration at the White Rock Theatre last week when people gathered to welcome the charitable trust that has taken over the running of the venue.

By Andy Hemsley

Published 6th Feb 2024, 11:16 BST

Portsmouth based Guildhall Trust have been given a 25 year lease by White Rock owners Hastings Borough Council, with an option to extend for a further ten years.

Organisers of local events and representatives of local arts groups were invited to the official opening where they heard from Guildhall Trust CEO Andy Grays, who was quick to point out how keen the Trust is to engage with local people and organisations.

Andy said: “It's a great venue for us to work with, and it will be about changing the emphasis within the next few years, moving from a mixed-use theatre to more of a music and concert-hall style, with one-nighters and using our relationships with the real top-notch promoters that we have built up over the years. It has to be a step at a time.”

Pictures by Sara-Louise Bowrey.

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