Arc Theatre

The building is on the north east end of the Nelson Terrace and Dovecot Street crossing. ARC Theatre & Arts Centre comprises a multi-purpose arts centre embracing cinema, theatre, dance and music. It has five floors offering four venues: a 246-seat theatre, a 99-seat studio theatre, the mixed venue called The Point (550 standing and 397 fully-seated), and the cinema (seating 127). It also has exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, a café and two bars. The full height glass façade shows the three-level foyer from the road.

The centre was built in 1997, at a cost of £6.85m, using funds from the National Lottery; it replaced existing arts facilities including the Dovecot Arts Centre and the Cannon cinema. It was designed by RHWL Arts Team, and won a Civic Trust Award in 2001. Richard Wilson designed the artwork 'Over Easy' which is integral to the building, consisting of a large circular section of wall which is motorised to rotate and provide a dynamic element to the building's design. It opened in 1998, but despite early success in terms of activity and audiences, struggled financially and closed in November 2001 due to large deficit built up due to over spends in construction and delays with opening. With…