See Sunderland's new £11m Auditorium rising into city centre skyline ahead of opening

The city’s new £11m Auditorium, which is being built onto the side of The Fire Station, has transformed a former car park in Garden Place and is set to welcome its first audiences in the coming months.

Designed with a capacity of 450 people seated or 800 standing, The Auditorium lies between the size of the neighbouring 2,000-seater Empire and smaller music venues such as Independent. Set to open this spring, it will also have an outdoor space for socially-distanced performances.

Although there’s no exact opening date as yet, the Government has announced, as part of the roadmap leading the country out of Lockdown, that theatres and concert halls can open their doors from May 17.

The Auditorium is part of the wider Fire Station development, supported by Sunderland City Council, Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has transformed an Edwardian fire station in High Street West into an artistic and cultural hub, housing The Engine Room bar and bistro, drama studio, dance studio and a heritage exhibition space.

Last year it was announced the venue had been granted £1.38m from the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund to help reduce the impact of Covid.

The Fire Station’s newly-appointed director Tamsin Austin said: “The Fire Station is a beautifully-designed auditorium and its flexibility will give great scope for a diverse and exciting programme of live concerts, festivals, theatre, dance and comedy, and will delight local people as well as put Sunderland on the map nationally and internationally.”

Speaking about the opening programme, she said: “I’m already thinking about the opening programme, which will be challenging because of Covid. We will be creative and find ways to welcome artists and audiences, whatever restrictions are in place.”

The new venue is being delivered by Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust and will be run by Sunderland Culture.

It has been designed by award-winning architects Flanagan Lawrence, with fixtures, technology and equipment specified by international acoustic experts Idibri and is being built by Sunderland-based Brims Construction.

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