Friends of The Mission Theatre
To celebrate The Mission Theatre’s 20th Birthday we have created a new charity: Friends of The Mission Theatre.
This aim of the charity is to look after and maintain our wonderful Grade II listed building following a Community Asset Transfer to Next Stage Theatre Company by Bath and North East Somerset Council - you can read more about the Community Asset Transfer here.
The upkeep and maintenance of The Mission Theatre is fundamental in ensuring its importance as a vital part of Bath heritage and its successful future as a city centre theatre and community asset. Friends of The Mission Theatre has been created to help us preserve our historic building and ensure that we are able to effectively continue its legacy.
The Mission Theatre has a fascinating history spanning almost 250 years. To read more about the building’s history click here.
Make a donation
To make a donation please click the button below. Each and every donation will be greatly appreciated as we continue our work to breathe new life into this historic building which stands proudly on Corn Street. We hope that, as the fabric of the building becomes more robust, we can welcome and entertain visitors for decades to come.
Our current fundraising goals.
Replacing Upstairs Windows - £20,000:
The Mission Theatre is long overdue a new set of sturdy, hopefully double-glazed, windows across the front and sides of the building. Both the frames and the glass itself are damaged and degrading to the extent that it is becoming dangerous to try and open them. The replacements will need to be a custom-made set that simultaneously honour the chapel’s original design and remain in line with Grade II listing restrictions, whilst also, we hope, being double-glazed to aid with the building’s overall energy efficiency.
LED Emergency Lighting - £2,000 Goal:
We are hoping that funds raised through Friends of The Mission Theatre can be put towards the cost of replacing many of the building’s older emergency exit lights with LEDs.
Matched Funding
If you are interested in offering matched funding towards one or other of these fundraising needs please let us know and we will commence a fundraising campaign accordingly.
Past fundraising
Over £300,000 raised over 20 years!
Next Stage Theatre Company would like to thank its many patrons, friends, audiences and members for their generosity over the last 20 years. You all helped to make the following possible:
2004-2005 Conversion (£60,000 raised)
In November 2004 Next Stage signed a lease with Bath and North East Somerset Council for the Corn Street Chapel. Over the next 12 weeks the company worked tirelessly to transform the building. The Mission Theatre opened on 24th January 2005.
2005 Light Up An Actor (£31,000 raised)
After being awarded £20k in arts council funding to buy a free-standing lighting rig for The Mission’s Main Auditorium Next Stage managed to raise an additional £11k to fit the rig out with lanterns and a state-of-the-art lighting desk.
2007 Partial Roof Repairs (£20,000 raised)
Years of weather damage to The Mission’s roof prior to Next Stage’s tenure meant that some repairs were urgently needed to ensure the building’s longevity. This fundraising was achieved in 2007 and partial repairs took place.
2011 Transforming the Backstage Area (£70,000 raised)
In 2011 Next Stage acquired a lease on The Old Bakery – a building at the back of The Mission Theatre – and transformed it into attractive and spacious dressing room facilities.
2012 Upgrading heating and cooling systems (£3,000)
In March 2012 a kind and generous donation from one of the theatre’s longest patrons enabled us to upgrade our heating and cooling facilities within the Main Auditorium.
2013 Seating and Staging Appeal (£5,000 raised)
Following Next Stage’s successful application for a new Premises Licence, The Mission Theatre’s seating capacity was increased by 50%. Next Stage members and benefactors raised £3000 for the staging and an additional £2000 for new seats making a grand total of £5000.
2020-2021 Replacing the Roof! (£110,000 raised)
Thanks to a huge fundraising campaign in 2020 and 2021, Next Stage managed to raise £110k to replace the roof of the theatre, thus protecting the much-loved building from the elements for years to come.
