At the suggestion of two of the group members a party of us visited the newly extended and refurbished Hippodrome Theatre in Darlington and were given a tour of the beautifully refurbished auditorium and ancillary areas by our expert guide, who explained the history of the theatre and its recent revitalisation. The Theatre was originally created and run by an Italian entrepreneur, taking advantage of the new appetite for entertainment in the Edwardian era, later with the advent of cinema the popularity of theatre going declined and for a time in the post 1945 period the building was kept alive by scout 'Gang Shows', amateur productions, wrestling and the efforts of a group of theatre enthusiasts. In the 1970's the local authority took it over and brought back touring productions. The extension into the adjacent buildings on Yarm Road to provide a new bar and café at ground level with dressing rooms and 'back of house' facilities above has been facilitated by the insertion of a full height glazed atrium containing circulation areas, staircases and lifts which also provides views over the centre of the Town. The atrium gives a new legibility to the building which was previously difficult to navigate, a legacy of its original Victorian design which had two entrances, one for the cheap seats in the balcony whose patrons were never to encounter the occupants of the stalls and circle. The capacity of the auditorium has been increased to improve the viability of the theatre and to increase the range of visiting shows which can be accommodated. All of this work has been enabled by funding from the local authority, private donors and generous assistance from the Arts Council. We were left feeling that the Region has a acquired a very significant asset to its art portfolio.