New Wolsey Theatre

The Wolsey Theatre is an elegant, compact, business-like brick construction with large black metal windows and door frames beneath a gently sloping slate roof. The ground floor foyer contains the box office and bar and the upper foyer maintains the colour characteristics of the exterior.

The 400-seat auditorium is a single block of raked seating with side galleries wrapping around an open thrust stage of unusual shape. There is limited wing space and a grid with 10 hemp sets. The architectural balance between auditorium and stage is excellent.

Built in 2020, taking the top layer of a spiral car park ramp adjacent to the New Wolsey, the new golden-roofed low-carbon NW2 Participation Building establishes a series of accessible spaces for community engagement, sitting on a newly created Theatre Square for outdoor public performances and other events in the round.

The theatre also runs the Highstreet Exhibition Gallery, a rehearsal space adjacent to Ipswich Museum.