Arena Theatre

About

The Arena Theatre is situated on Wulfruna Street in Wolverhampton and is part of the University of Wolverhampton's city campus. The venue's main auditorium seats 150 people and is used for both professional touring shows and for local community groups.

History: In 1967, Philip Tilstone, the first lecturer in drama at the University of Wolverhampton, which was then the Wolverhampton College of Technology, wanted to establish the drama not just at the university, but in Wolverhampton, too. He was committed to providing a range of performance events for both students and the local community. Alongside his colleague, the late Dr. Percy Young, the director of music at the college, Tilstone gave music students the opportunity to perform, and these performance events would justify the provision of a fully equipped theatre/workshop venue, the Arena Theatre, with shared access for students and visiting performers. In 1989, Kevin O'Sullivan became the administrator for the Arena Theatre. He was subsequently the theatre manager until his retirement in 2013. Student work was frequently performed at the Arena Theatre and local audiences continued to benefit from the range and quality of its...