Super stage for Wigan talent to shine

The finishing touches to the new addition at The Old Courts were put in place last week before Simply Dylan became the first act to play in the new-look venue.

The Crawford Street community culture centre has been looking to install a proper formal stage ever since the upstairs 200-seat capacity theatre was opened.

Previously acts have played either on the same level as the punters or on a makeshift platform, which gave a certain amount of intimacy but did mean some shows were not suitable for the venue.

The Old Courts director Rebecca Davenport said: “Over the last 12 months we have hosted music events, theatre shows and big names such as Sir Ian McKellen and John Cooper Clarke in our theatre space at The Old Courts.

“Patrons who have visited us during that time will know that we have been striving to improve the space and to eventually build a permanent stage.

“We are happy to announce that we now have that stage and, after hosting our first event using it on Thursday, can say that it improves the experience of being in our theatre space tenfold.

“The difference is amazing. It is going to make for much improved cultural experiences in our seated venue. We’d like to thank all of our hard working staff and volunteers who have built it from the ground up, and of course, the people who support us by attending events here at The Old Courts. We can’t make improvements like this without you.”