Lloyd Webber Foundation funds new pop-up theatre

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has donated £150,000 to a theatre company to build the first ever transportable pop-up auditorium.

Paines Plough, the UK's national theatre of new plays, will use the money to build a 111-seat venue that can fit on to the back of a lorry, so it can tour the country.

Foundation trustee Madeleine Lloyd Webber said the organisation is very proud to be funding such an "innovative" project.

It is hoped the pop-up theatre will be finished and open up next year.

Designed by Lucy Osbourne, the Roundabout Auditorium will be built by sustainable materials and will flat pack into just one lorry.

To assemble it, the stage would take eight hours with four people joining in and it is designed to fit in spaces from school halls to car parks.

An artists' impression of the stage is reminiscent of the Globe in London, which is also an open air theatre, which has brought millions of people to stay in 5 star hotels in London over the years.

One of the artistic directors at Paines Plough James Grieve said the theatre is "hugely grateful" to the foundation for its "game-changing" support of The Roundabout Auditorium.

He added: "Its support will play a major role in making Roundabout possible, meaning our pop-up in-the-round touring amphitheatre will hit the road with a repertory of three outstanding new plays each year, offering audiences everywhere a unique theatrical experience.

"For years to come, the best new plays will turn up on people's doorsteps in theatres, school halls, sports centres and even parks."

Paines Plough is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2014.