You could double your donation to The Billings today!
THE FIRST £25K DONATIONS 3rd-10th July WILL BE MATCHED by Theatre Trustee, Henry Meakin. Please give now to build a new community studio and creative learning programme at Theatre Royal Bath.
Donations of £2500+ will leave a lasting legacy and receive recognition on our donor board in the space.
Please choose an amount to donate
Why The Billings? Why now?
The Billings is a home for our adult participation programme, and the fourth and final venue at Theatre Royal Bath.
Your support now will leave a lasting legacy because a home for ambitious, inclusive community work like this has a trickle-down effect for generations. At this point, when so many have already given, every single donation brings us closer to building The Billings and our commitment to grass-roots theatre work for the long haul. A building is more than a promise, it is an invitation.
Bath is full of creativity — but short on creative space.
Research and community consultation showed:
- 58% of creatives and local community organisations surveyed in 2022 told us rated local access to training as poor
- 66% said affordable rehearsal space is scarce
- Bath & North East Somerset council and West of England Combined Authority have highlighted a lack of creative space as a barrier to growth
- Over 400 people applied to join the recent community play
- Disabled, low‑income and global majority participants face persistent barriers and struggle to find affordable space
What is The Billings?
The Billings offers affordable space to help level the playing field. It transforms the last unused space at Theatre Royal Bath unto an accessible, affordable, professionally supported studio theatre designed from the ground up for community creativity. Inside, we will facilitate creative learning, community partnerships and new work, supporting emerging talent and engaging over 1,500 participants and 3,000 audience members annually within the first 4 years. With inclusive design at its core, it will expand opportunities for community creativity year after year.
Head of Engagement, Janine Solomon-Gardner explains Theatre Royal Bath’s capital project: The Billings community studio
A Legacy Rooted in Bath’s Theatrical History
The Story of Beryl Billings
The Billings proudly bears the name of Margot Boyd who was born, Beryl Margot Billings (1913–2008) — an actor whose life embodied the transformative power of theatre.
Born in Bath to a family of theatre lovers, she was encouraged from childhood to perform recitals for relatives. After graduating from RADA, she built a lifelong acting career alongside many of the greats — Michael Redgrave, Vivien Leigh, James Stewart, Noël Coward, George Bernard Shaw. She became beloved nationwide as Mrs Antrobus in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, a role she played for 20 years. On her 90th birthday, colleagues surprised her at BBC Pebble Mill with her favourite meal: eggs and chips with a whisky and soda.
In leaving the majority of her estate to create opportunities for theatrical education and access in Bath — and to support actors facing hardship — she made an incredible commitment that continues to shape Bath’s artistic life today.
The Miss Beryl Billings Charitable Trust has contributed over £1 million to make The Billings possible.
Your gift now continues the legacy she began.
Front of House Team Member and community participant Helen Miller explains what being a part of Engage has meant to her:
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED SO FAR
We extend our sincere gratitude to the organisations and individuals supporting this capital campaign:
See the full list of our supporters here
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Kerry Irvine |
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Rebecca R Pauling |
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Chris & Marie Woodward |
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Mary Rooney |
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Lydia Jones |
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Nicola Berkeley |
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Graham Hadley |
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Nezi & Randal |
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Mr Charles Burgess |
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Rachel Howard |
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Robert Jefferson |
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Eve Wheaton |
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Sluey |
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Craig Money |
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Tony and Sue |
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Sunitha Koppella |
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Mr N Swinburne |
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Julia Cramp |
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Tony and Sue |
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Monika Barnes |
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Carol Hibbert |
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Sally Moran |
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Chris & Judi Johnson |
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Derek |
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Be Wright |
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Watts |
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Lydia Jones |
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Mr Dean Williams |
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Matt |
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Kimberlee Lim |
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rosser |
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Daniel Taylor |
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Kenny Bee |
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Tony and Sue |
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RACollins |
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Tony And Sue |
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Joanne Howells |
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Tony n Sue |
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Tony n Sue |
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Michael Murphy |
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Matt |
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Jeffrey Coles |
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Mark Richards |
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Samuel Pew Latter |
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Lucia Jakubikova |
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Tina Hunt |
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Will Townsend |
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Tony and Sue |
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Maria Orson |
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Katy Turner |
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Clare whitehead |
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MacHattie |
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Daniel Williams |
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Marija Lj |
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Lani Calape |
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Ian Hartland |
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Carolyn Dee |
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Sarah |
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Zoe Joseph |
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Rich Harries |
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Linda Pike |
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Arwen Skinner |
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GREGOIRE |
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Sarah Gray |
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Verity Taylor |
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amy kolarides |
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Dr Funkenstein Himself: Rexx Carr |
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Tabitha Potts |
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ZSA |
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Lucy Gallwey |
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Oliver Nash |
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Lizzy |
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Sarah |
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SYLVIA & TONY COOPER |
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Mini |
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Duncan Wildsmith |
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Nigel Futter |
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Mr Ugo Gasparino Dr Carol A Jenkins Richard Aquilina Nigel Pollard Amanda Stonehouse E F Tracey |
We would also like to thank anonymous donors to the campaign.
Ralph Fiennes
Harriet Walter
Patrick Robinson
Rosalind Eleazar
The Cast of As You Like It, 2025
The Company of Grace Pervades, 2025
Rachel Tucker
The Bath Rotary Club Fireworks
Axel
The Billings News and Updates
Stay up to date with the latest news and updates about our journey towards The Billings
What will the impact be?
We anticipate that The Billings will enable us to triple our programme for participants, making sure even more people benefit from the sense of belonging and reduction in loneliness that participants have told us they have enjoyed.
Within the first 4 years we expect up to 4000 tickets could be sold every year. That's 4000 more audience members enjoying low-cost tickets and the chance to see exciting grass-roots work from and about their local community.
Helen Miller, a participant of our Engage programme who has gone on to work in our Front of House team, tells us about the difference that has made for her