The Northcott Theatre in Exeter is to undergo a £3 million refurbishment - and YOU could have a role to play. The Northcott, based at the city's university, is to be totally transformed when the work takes place next year. As part of the revamp, the auditorium is to get a makeover, with all new seating. There will also be 105 more seats, increasing the audience capacity to 538. To help raise the money, the theatre has launched a Name a Seat campaign, where theatre-goers can have their names put on a seat in the newly refurbished auditorium.  | | How the new auditorium will look |
The cost of a seat in the yellow band is £400 and in the red band is £500, and payment can either be made in full or spread over a number of years. One of the appeal committee members is actor and comedian Adrian Edmondson, who lives in Devon and appeared in The Life and Times of Young Bob Scallion at the Northcott in 2003. He is urging people to do their bit: "This is our theatre - get involved! I've got my seat - have you got yours?" As well as the changes to the auditorium, the theatre will also have new sections added, to provide larger foyer and bar areas. The work will take around 20 weeks and will mean the closure of the theatre for a part of 2006. However, it's hoped the work can coincide with the Northcott's open air Shakespeare season to minimise disruption to the programme. For more information on Name a Seat, contact Lisa Roff on 01392 223995 or at l.roff@ex.ac.uk | 
