The Ministry of Culture have announced that the refurbishment of the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre, carried out by Gibraltar Cultural Services, is now complete. The theatre now offers 408 brand new theatre seats, new flooring throughout the auditorium and upper dress circle, and new light and sound equipment.

The refurbishment project has also included the purchase of new curtains, painting of walls, varnishing of existing wooden panels, laying of new carpet, stage floor sanding and painting, refurbishment of the sound & light control room and new LED lighting to the auditorium.

A designated wheelchair area has been included in the redesign of the seating plan. The wheelchair area has a system whereby seats can be easily removed to allow extra space as and when required by wheelchair users. The two front rows, which had been unavailable for a number of years, have now been re-provisioned, thereby increasing the capacity of the theatre. These rows are removable should the stage extension be required.

The project has taken three months to complete. Every effort has been made to preserve the original 1960s design details.

This popular theatre was used for 278 days during the year 2015/16, for a variety of events including theatre productions, schools’ annual plays, dance shows, lectures and conferences, GBC Open Day, classical music concerts, the Literary Festival and the Miss Gibraltar beauty pageant. The Management of the hall is confident that users and visitors alike will appreciate the new and enhanced facilities this historical theatre has to offer.