What an eventful 7 years it has been. Remember the Palace Theatre in 2002? Restricted disability access, flat floor auditorium, poor visibility lines, cramped bar - look at the Palace Theatre now!

This little gem has been transformed. Sympathetically renovated to include full disabled access, racked seating which gives full view of the stage from any seat in the house, enlarged comfortable bar and backstage has not been forgotten. New facilities include showers and additional toilet, new lighting to dressing rooms, and a fully equipped kitchen in fact the Palace has been brought up to a standard fit for a modern 21 st century theatre.

We, the Friends, raised £100,000 towards this transformation and we can be justly proud of our achievement. I know from comments that you all appreciate the improvements, and enjoy your theatrical experiences. The venue is now being used on a regular basis, particularly the new Arena. There is activity here 6 days out of 7, likewise the committee room is in regular use, all of which proves the value of this venue to the community.

One of the regular users of the Arena is the Torbay Folk Orchestra. Those of you who attended last year’s AGM will have enjoyed the short concert which they gave us after the business of the evening. That was their first public performance – I am told they enjoyed it very much, and they have gone on to perform publicly since. Torbay Folk Orchestra and Torbay Folk Choir (who rehearse at Oldway Mansion every Tuesday) teamed up in December and presented an evening of folk music in the Arena. Friends were invited and I went along. It was a great evening – I wish more of you had attended. However there was a good and receptive audience, the Folk Orchestra performed, the Folk Choir sang and they then combined their efforts. At the end of the evening the chairs were pushed back and dancing began in good old celidh style. It was a real feel good factor to see the Arena (our black box) being used as we intended it – music making in the community. The Torbay Folk Orchestra and the Torbay Folk Choir are run under the auspices of WREN - Wren Music is Devon’s Folk and Community Arts Development Organisation. Wren has been running for 25 years, Over 30,000 people participate in Wren Music projects each year. A major part of their work is in education and a visit to their website is quite fascinating. Based in Okehampton they cover Devon & Cornwall, with regular workshops in singing, orchestral instruments and community theatre. Where better for their Torbay projects than the Palace Theatre. The Friends are very pleased to be able to support the Torbay Folk Orchestra and Choir and wish them well for 2009. To join one of these groups, just pop along to the Arena or Oldway Mansion on a Thursday for Orchestra or a Tuesday for Choir at 7.30p.m. A very friendly crowd – you will be most welcome.

Another regular user of the Arena is the Robert Owen Foundation and Aspects. Aspects is an organisation which focus on people with learning disabilities, it provides training and skills development to prepare vunerable people for integrating into the community, independent living and work placement. Working out of the Arena they use creative art, dance and movement, photography, drama and media skills to develop the full potential of each individual.

One of the exciting initiatives to come out of this programme is the very successful ROC Samba Band. Working under the leadership of African drummer Pako Gomis who comes to the UK from Senegal the band comprises 12 musicians who learn and rehearse in the Arena each week. The group have now established themselves as a very good band and perform regular gigs around the bay.

Making full use of the facilities at the Palace for all sections of the community is what it is all about. With TAF using the rehearsal room most evenings of the week it is great to see that the Arena and the rehearsal room are fully utilised and keeping the Palace Theatre at the centre of the community. Providing a home for education and fun in the performing arts was always part of the Friends “vision” for the theatre and it is rewarding to see the great strides that have been made in the past twelve months – long may it continue.