Lyric Hammersmith's main house to close for refurbishments in June

The Lyric Hammersmith's main house will close throughout the summer for refurbishments, it has been announced.

The venue, which has a 550-seater main auditorium and a smaller studio space, will close its larger space on 23 June after its production of Fatherland, which runs in conjunction with LIFT and the Royal Exchange in Manchester. It will then reopen on 5 October with its co-production of o t h e l l o m a c b e t h.

During the summer, the theatre's performance spaces will be refurbished. The main house, designed by Frank Matcham in 1895, will have new lighting positions, enhanced swipecard security, new plasterwork and ceiling repairs, as well as seat and carpet replacements. The stalls will be fully removable, enhancing the number of access positions and versatility of the space.

After opening in 1979, the studio space will be renovated for the first time, with newly installed retractable seating to create a more versatile space and increased capacity. It will also install new lighting fixtures and redecorate the space to add profile to the studio programme.

Lyric Hammersmith has also announced a new name-a-seat scheme, which will offer patrons the chance to have a name plaque on a seat in either the main house or studio space.

The venue reopened in April 2015, when it added a major new extension to the building, and renovated its foyer spaces. These new plans will maintain the safety of the venue and improve the theatre's sustainability in the future.