A first look inside Sunderland's state-of-the-art Fire Station Auditorium ahead of opening night
and live on Freeview channel 276
Ahead of the first gig on Friday night, the Echo had an exclusive first look around as the final preparations are made – and it’s already looking like a flaming good addition to the city.
What was once an underused car park is now the site of an £11million state-of-the-art auditorium, built onto the side of the existing Fire Station arts venue, with top grade acoustics to showcase local talent, as well as international artists.
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Hide AdA mid-size venue which bridges the gap in the city between larger venues such as the Stadium, the Empire and The Point and smaller venues such as Independent, it will hold 800 people standing and 550 seated for a broad range of music, comedy, theatre, dance and more.
"It’s been a real labour of love,” said Richard Wood, director at Brims, the Sunderland design and build firm behind the construction. Since ground was broken in October 2019, the construction team have had to navigate a pandemic and subsequent delays in materials, but Richard says it’s become a flagship build for the firm.
"In terms of being high profile, this and the Tombola building (in Wylam Wharf) are our flagship projects,” he added. “When we first started it was described as being like a mini Sage and now the final pieces have gone in, such as the timber panelling, you can really see it coming together. It’s a superb venue.”
The panelling is one of many acoustic features in the build, with the acoustic design undertaken by Idibri, international leaders in their field who have created one of the “most acoustically perfect” places to perform in the region.
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Hide AdAesthetically, the concept design was undertaken by Jason Flanagan, design director at architects Flanagan Lawrence, who are also behind the iconic Sage in Gateshead.
Inspired by its neighbours Sunderland Empire, the Dun Cow and, of course, The Fire Station, the terracotta colour scheme has been chosen to complement the nearby red brick Edwardian architecture. Meanwhile, its lighting is designed to blend in during the day, so as not to overshadow the other structures, whilst becoming more of a beacon at night.
The first strum of the guitar at the new venue will be by homegrown talent Martin Longstaff, aka The Lake Poets, who will be performing with Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening on December 10.
It sparks the opening programme for the venue, called Firestarters, which already features a host of top acts including Royal Northern Sinfonia, Mica Paris, The Firestarters Revue presented by Mercury Prize nominees Field Music, Smoove & Turrell, An Evening with Emeli Sandé, The Shires, Beth Nielsen Chapman and many more.
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Hide AdIn summer 2022, audiences will also be able to look forward to outdoor performances in the new parade ground, a 600-capacity site with its own stage, which is under construction at the rear of the Fire Station. Once open, it will host a variety of performances, from mini festivals to outdoor summer theatre.
Once fully operational, the whole development will employ 100 people across various roles, with the auditorium hosting around 300 performances a year.