A small city theatre with big ambitions has won a major award at an annual event celebrating some of the best in the industry.
The independent Alphabetti Theatre in St James’ Boulevard, opposite Discovery Museum, has been awarded Fringe Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards, beating London rivals. And its success recognises its work over the past year as the theatre industry continues its fight-back from the effects of the Covid lockdown.
The theatre team took to Twitter to share news of their award, saying: Wow! Thank you! WE DID IT! We want to thank all our audiences, staff, freelancers, artists and board of trustees. This means a lot to us as a team and we are so lucky to have the support of the region and to have this recognition."
Read more: How Alphabetti Theatre served up freebies and cheap snacks during cost of living crisis
Alphabetti was launched by writer-director Ali Pritchard in 2012, in a bid to meet local demand for a fringe venue in Newcastle to develop performing arts and opportunities for up-and-coming artists. Described as 'the city’s smallest producing house', the theatre - which hosts around 300 performances a year - has gone on to grow its amibtions, with its off-stage work ranging from mental health support for staff to providing a warm space for the community over winter.
It is currently running a crowdfunder campaign to help support its work in offering the likes of 'Pay What You Feel’ tickets so that its audiences can contribute just what they are able to afford.
The Stage Awards aim to celebrate excellence in British theatre each year and its shortlist included venues and organisations across the UK which have been producing top work and helping to reshape and rebuild the sector.
Alphabetti Theatre, which recently added to its main 80-seat space with a new cabaret stage offering similar capacity, beat Little Angel Theatre and Omnibus Theatre, both in London, to secure the Fringe Theatre of the Year title, sponsored by Encore Insure, at the awards ceremony in London.
In a tweet accompanying the awards announcement, The Stage, said to be the world's oldest theatre publication, said that Alphabetti "has gone from strength to strength this year by showcasing exciting theatre-making in the North East, putting a huge emphasis on improving opportunities for local emerging artists." Among the responses were tweets saying "excellent excellent news"; "Brilliant news and so well deserved" and"Fantastic place for all, run by wonderful people. Congratulations".
For the full list of winners of the 2023 awards see here and for more about Alphabetti, which on Tuesday night is launching the world premiere of a show called Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light, which runs until February 4 and is described as a woman’s journey of self-discovery, see here.
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