Exeter’s Bike Shed Theatre has won the My Theatre Matters! Most Welcoming Theatre Award.
After more than 55,000 public votes were cast in less than three weeks, The Bike Shed Theatre beat 225 venues to the title.
The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide awards to honour outstanding achievement in regional theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
David Lockwood, Artistic Director of the theatre said: “When Fin and I opened the Bike Shed in 2010, we both believed that the experience of an audience member goes beyond what they see on stage. We put great emphasis on the atmosphere in the bar, the quality of the food and drinks and, most importantly, the welcome of the staff. So this award feels like a vindication of something we felt was inherent in an evening out, and something so sadly missing in many other cultural venues.
“It’s great to have won this prestigious national award and I’m proud of all that the team here are doing to put Exeter on the cultural map.”
The next production produced by the Bike Shed Theatre is Eliza and the Wild Swans, an imaginative adaptation of a Hans Christian Anderson tale for ages eight and over from 17 December.