Bennetts centre stage with £13.5m theatre expansion

Bennetts Associates has been appointed by East Herts Council to design the £13.5m expansion of the Hertford Theatre.

The 1977 theatre stands beside the River Lea and underwent a £1m revamp from St Albans practice Briffa Phillips in 2010.

Bennetts’ project will see the theatre add three cinema screens, a 150-seat studio and more seats in the existing 400-seat auditorium. It will also add a riverside bar and improve access to all areas.

The practice, which has worked on the RSC at Stratford, Chester Storyhouse Theatre and the West End’s Shaftesbury Theatre, was appointed by the council after a tender process that attracted bids from across Europe.

Others working on the scheme include cost consultant Bristow Johnson, project manager Form, structural engineer Integral and services and environmental consultant Max Fordham.

The project is expected to take three years.