Hayling Island Station Theatre

About

The station theatre stands in West Town Hayling Island at the bottom of the Billy Nature Trail. It was converted from a disused goods shed left derelict when the railway was dismantled in the 1960's.

The sculpture ‘The Players’ by Clare Straiton stands proudly outside the theatre. This was a project of the five Hayling Schools who raised the necessary £20,000 through the National Lottery.  After a two months schools sculpture project in 1995 culminating in a week’s exhibition in the shell of the theatre, Clare was commissioned to produce a suitable sculpture to reflect the children’s work. ‘The Players’ is two figures sculptured in natural materials, such as twigs, straw and buds. The finished result, the only original sculpture on Hayling, is some six feet high and set in bronze. It was unveiled on 17th July 1999 by Tony Hart, the well known children’s artist and entertainer before a large audience of members and school children.

The Foyer contains the Box Office desk (right), Tea and Coffee Counter (left) and the Drinks Bar (centre). The Bar itself was made from the original ticket office counter which was salvaged when the ticket office on the original goods shed was demolished as the first part of the Station Theatre project. The road sign which used to point the way to the Barn Theatre (HIADS theatre for 46 years) sits proudly on the wall - and still points in the correct general direction.

The auditorium seats 144 people in comfort and has modern lighting and sound equipment. Some of the front seats can be removed to accomodate wheelchairs. There is also a hearing loop installed. The stepped seating means that there is an uninterrupted view of the stage from all seats. Steps lead directly from the foyer to the rear seats. The front seats can be reached without the need to use stairs via the arcade which is used to display works from local artists as well as information on HIADS and the Station Theatre conversion.