The Point is a theatre and dance studios for contemporary performance and contemporary dance in the South of England. Owned and operated by Eastleigh Borough Council and funded by the local tax payer, via a yearly budgeted allowance set by full council.
Established in 1997 with one of the first National Lottery grants and situated in Eastleigh's former Town Hall, 60 miles southwest of London, 12 miles south of Winchester and 22 miles west of Portsmouth, The Point presents a year-round programme of theatre, 35mm film (non digital projection), light entertainment and contemporary dance performance.
It features a 312 seat theatre fitted with a single Cinemeccanica Victoria V, projector in a single tower configuration (there is no provision to project commercial digital film formats) a 50 person maximum capacity rehearsal studio with bench seating, a dance studio, dance garden, coffee shop, meeting rooms and a purpose built 'creation space' studio with retractable seating. It also features residential accommodation for up to eight artists, so that visiting companies may live on site for short periods of time. The current director of the Point is Sarah Brigham who previously was associate director at Dundee Rep Theatre for four years where she directed work for and with children and young people and managed the Creative Learning Department which included a Youth Theatre.
In 2008, a planning application for an extension of The Point (Phase3) came under international public objection on environmental grounds. Spearheaded by award winning photographer and local environmental activist Matthew Myatt,[1] a campaign was launched to prevent The Point from cutting down an ancient public amenity tree that stood in the way of the new development. The campaign gained international recognition to save the tree, nicknamed Sid the Sycamore and world wide support was given to the Save Sid[2] campaign via international press reports, social Internet sites and television news coverage of Sid’s plight. Despite many appeals for the local Liberal Democrat-run council to rethink their planning proposal, together with a High Court application for a Judicial Review for a departure from national planning policy,[3] the tree was felled by council contractors on Easter Bank holiday Monday, 2008.
In November 2009, The Point opened its new Phase3 production space with artist and choreographer Akram Khan (dancer) given the honour of officially opening the new development. In March 2011, local Labour councillor Brian Norgate, blogging on the Eastleigh News[4] website, revealed publicly for the first time in an article entitled Labour’s Plan B, that the budgeted 2.1 million pound Phase3 extension had overrun its building costs by some £800,000 due to poor management, leaving the local tax payer to pick up this overspend.
The Point’s Phase3 is a purpose-built 375 m2 studio space, featuring a "Creation Space" with a sprung wooden floor and infrastructure for lighting, sound and multi-media and four modular seating blocks; living accommodation for up to eight artists and a fully accessible ground floor studio room.
In the design of the new structure a number of artists were used including design duo Jim Partridge and Liz Walmsely, who created the box office; film maker and artist Alys Scott Hawkins, who designed the sail-inspired sunshade for the roof terrace; Sculptor Jon Mills who created the metal railings that surround The Point; Textile designer Ann Sutton, who designed the interior carpets and upholstery fabrics; Bernard Forrester, who inspired by dance movements, created gold and silver swirls on the interior walls; Designer Louise Slater who produced the intricate light fittings for the venue; Visual artist Carole Waller who created the glass installation in the new Atrium; and artist Peter Freeman, who created the Point’s roof top, LED light installation. The latest building addition has allowed the venue to launch its Domicile project.
Domicile is comprised four strands: Space for ideas: Aims to create a series of intensive engagements between visiting artists to The Point and established artists based in the region. Artists Quarters: Offers support to emerging and early career artists and companies. A year-long residency for four companies which provides a series of master classes and workshops, support and direction from industry experts, business and marketing development and opportunities to meet and talk with artists who will be resident in, or visiting, The Point. Home from Home: A residency program for those who have completed the Artists Quarters. This strand gives the opportunity to make The Point the artist/company’s principle creative base. Potential: The final strand providing opportunities for aspiring young choreographers (14 to 21-years) to engage with innovative choreographic ideas through a series of professional led classes.