Hampshire Life: February 2019 (^) 25
“C
reativity is
contagious, pass
it on,” Albert
Einstein famously
said. So, when Nuffield Theatre
Southampton’s second venue NST
City opened at the long-awaited
Studio 144 arts complex on
Guildhall Square last February,
the spotlight switched on.
The £30million Studio 144,
named in homage to the former
Tyrrell and Green department
store that once traded here, now
also houses the John Hansard
Gallery and filmmakers, City Eye,
providing all three organisations
with new-found visibility. In the
case of NST City its roots go back
to 1964 when, backed by the
Nuffield Foundation, a producing
theatre was established on the
University of Southampton’s
Highfield campus. Funded
today by Arts Council England,
Southampton City Council and
the University, one of the UK’s
most renowned professional
companies is led by Sam Hodges
who, having arrived fresh from
London’s Criterion Theatre in
2013, has seen the accolades
(including Regional Theatre of
the Year) roll-in.
The launch of NST City
offers an additional 450-seater
main house, studio theatre,
screening facilities, rehearsal,
and workshop spaces, plus a
café bar. Importantly though,
not only is this the latest act
in NST’s repertoire, it also
marks Southampton’s ambition
to raise the public’s cultural
consciousness.
“Before, we had a theatre
which had been here (in
Southampton) for over 40 years
which some people didn’t know
existed,” says Sam Hodges, “So
that’s changing now that we’re
also right on Guildhall Square
among everything.” Adding, “It’s
never a question of just open a
One year after the curtain went up on NST City, Southampton’s
newest theatre is at the beating heart of its dynamic cultural
quarter. VIV MICKLEFIELD discovers the impact it is having
SOUTHAMPTON
CULTURE
A CITY OF
ABOVE: Studio
144 John Hansard
Gallery and City
Eye
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