Show marks start of Oxford theatre's revamp

A weekend of theatre, street parties, and community workshops will be held at Oxford's Pegasus Theatre next week before it closes for more than a year for a multi-million-pound rebuild. Pegasus patron, comedian Mark Thomas, will open the proceedings with a performance at the Magdalen Road theatre at 8 pm on Thursday, April 2. Then, for three mornings running, the theatre will be open for visitors to drop in for quiet reflection and to share memories. On Saturday morning, April 4, there will be two free art workshops, one offering people the chance to design and decorate the hoardings which will be going up around the site later in the month, and the other designing and making lanterns which will then be paraded that evening. During the evening, there will be a concert featuring classical, African, and Caribbean music, followed by a family lantern parade, complete with fireworks. The weekend’s events close with a street party on Sunday, from 2-5 pm, featuring entertainment from Electric Cabaret, Sol Samba, and others, along with a special event marking out the shape of the new building using balloons. The theatre is due to close in April until autumn 2010. Click here to learn more.