History |
15th Jul
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Nomads HistoryThe Nomads has a brand new home behind Bishopsmead Parade in East Horsley.Their story started some 64 years ago when the Nomads staged their first play, Journeys End, in the Guildford Borough Hall. Since then there have been many changes. There was the acquisition and refitting of the barn at Bishopsmead, and later an extension to include a bar and new wardrobe. By the time the group celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 1994 it had become a charity, Nomad Players Limited, and had started a weekly childrens drama workshop - the Nomes. By then the Young Nomads had been active for 20 years and the group had been elected as a member of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain. The decision to build a new theatre led to an immensely busy period for the Nomads, with the planning and designing of the new theatre, the preparation and submission of an application for a National Lottery capital grant and the raising of the obligatory partnership funding to pay for the new building. The National Lottery gave us a unique opportunity to develop a theatre that provided all the facilities we need for our wide-ranging drama activities. From our preliminary application onwards the Arts Council of England encouraged us to build a really well-equipped, good quality theatre. Initially, in the autumn of 1995, we were awarded an interim grant of up to £50,000, of which we spent £34,000 on developing the best possible design. In April 1996 the Arts Council, after a redesign had been submitted, awarded us a major grant of £911,000. In early 1997 we were awarded a increment to cover additional items; this resulted in a final cost for the building of £1,346,000. The Nomads Players have had to provide £338,000 of that figure, and this has almost been achieved, with less than £10,000 still to be raised. |
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