His Royal Highness (HRH) Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened Viva Theatre in Soham during a Royal Visit to East Cambridgeshire on Wednesday (April 12).
After having to postpone the theatre’s opening ceremony several times due to Covid-19, Viva was honoured and excited to welcome HRH.
Established in 1997 by Soham resident Daniel Schumann, Viva began life as a small youth theatre run by a team of volunteers.
Its first project was a performance of Bugsy Malone, which played to an audience of 400 at Beechhurst Hall, Soham Village College.
The show was a big hit and, with more and more children joining, Viva was able to expand and take on bigger and more ambitious productions.
Over the past 20 years, Viva has performed in various venues throughout East Cambridgeshire including Ely Cathedral, the ADC Theatre and many local schools and halls.
The Viva Theatre was originally a Mill, and Viva purchased the building in 2018 and raised over £3 million of funding to appropriately renovate the derelict mill and bring it back to life for the community.
The theatre was completed in early 2022 and is now a thriving theatre, arts centre, and community facility.
Founder of Viva Arts and Community Group, Dan Schumann, said: “It was an honour for Viva to welcome HRH the Duke of Edinburgh to our wonderful theatre and we were very excited to finally officially open it, which is already making a huge contribution to the community.
"It was a fantastic day. The Duke put everybody at ease; he was so relaxed and funny and genuinely interested in the theatre because he has a theatre background so the wonderful thing was he wasn't just a member of the Royal Family, he was also someone who could talk about theatre."
Dan added: "He [the Duke] was really impressed with our facility and what we've achieved, and everyone left with a smile on their face, feeling warm, happy and proud, and that's really what it's all about.
"It's wonderful that we've been able to do our bit and have a member of the Royal Family visit Soham, putting the town on the map in a positive way."
To find our more about Viva, its productions and its activities, visit www.viva-group.org.uk.
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