WHEN the Brewhouse Theatre opened on March 28, 1977, it followed 30 years of struggle to find a suitable venue and the money to make our then theatre-less town a hub for culture.

John Wilkins, the then secretary of Taunton Theatre Trust, spearheaded the battle which at the time he described to the County Gazette as seeming 'impossible'.

The first professional production hosted was Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests, which starred the then-unknown David Jason.

Another frequent face was Stephen Daldry, director of the hit Netflix show The Crown, and this year already has seen the likes of Howard Jones and Jason Donovan who will be at the theatre later this year.

The theatre is run by the Taunton Theatre Association who were awarded the licence to operate the theatre in December 2013 after the shock closure in February.

Somerset County Gazette:

It reopened in April 2014, and since then has had more than 100,000 visitors, more than 500 performances, more than 400 events and 27 exhibitions.

With such a growing programme, the closure is a taboo subject with staff and volunteers at the theatre - but one that always crops up.

“We were only closed for a relatively short period of time, but it is something that everyone always asks about,” says Vanessa Lefrancois, chief executive of the Brewhouse.

“But we getting asked less and less about the closure and it happening again and instead people are now coming forward to ask what’s happening about our plans to redevelop which is exciting.

“All I can say is we’re working really closely with Taunton Deane Council to create somewhere which is fit for the 21st century and also reflects the wonderful talent we have coming through the doors.

“There are a lot of plans for developing Taunton and we are a crucial part of the plans, it’s important to have a theatre for the county town with a variety of shows and events that all audiences want to come to.”

Somerset County Gazette:

The original article in the County Gazette before the Brewhouse opened in March 1977

Since reopening 18 months ago, the charity, it’s staff and the loyal dedicated base of volunteers have worked hard to improve the experience at the Brewhouse.

All rooms are now in use and have had little makeovers, the art gallery is up and running again, and for the past 12 months, there has been a growing and hugely successful cinema programme.

Vanessa added: “It has taken time to get the cinema to where we want it to be but now it is exceeding expectations.

“Recently we had to put on an extra screening of La La Land because it was so popular, and it’s something we would have never imagined.

“It’s really important to us that we provide something for everyone, and have a diverse programme.

“So that means bringing in the big name comedians that people will enjoy to tribute bands and our local theatre groups.

“We held our first in-house production at Christmas of Around the World in 80 Days and we are planning to hold another this Christmas - although I can’t give too many details away at the moment.

“Just recently we had the Wayfarers in and we’re looking forward to welcoming back the Taunton Amateur Operatic Society, the Gang Show and the Taunton Thespians.

“We want this to be a regional theatre with people visiting from all over Somerset and beyond because they know they can see world-class talent here.

“Something else which we’re seeing a really wonderful response to is our activities programme.

“We offer something for everyone throughout the week including ballet classes for adults which are all booked up, to events for children such as the Art Hoppers Class on a Thursday morning.”

And the team has been busy working on a host of events and plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

“We are working on bringing events out into the community, as it is really important for us to be a part of the community,” said Vanessa.

“One thing I am really excited about is that we have teamed up with Eric Whitacre and the BBC Orchestra for a performance later this year at St Mary Magdalen Church which will be broadcast on Radio Three called The Brewhouse Presents.

“We’re also working with the South West Heritage Trust on a project specially for the 40th, and to create an archive.

“We want to create a piece of work which brings together everyone’s memories of the theatre, sharing their stories and memorabilia from over the years.

“Then we are commissioning a writer to create a piece of poetry based on this and a film maker to compile everything together.

“We’re also commissioning an artist to create a mural on the outside wall in Somerset Square called Inside Out to celebrate the life and spirit of the Brewhouse, and to depict some of the activities that take place inside.

“There’s also plans for us to redevelop the box office.

“We want to create a legacy so that in the next 40 years or even 10 years people can look and see what we were doing.

This venue is known as a place where upcoming talents have started out early in their careers, such as David Jason, and we want to continue to encourage that, both with talent from Somerset and beyond.”