Construction work to start on Boho Arts Hub, Newcastle’s new inclusive creative arts centre

Refurbishment work is to start on transforming a building in Newcastle city centre into a vibrant, inclusive creative arts hub for Boho Arts, a charity dedicated to providing playful, supportive, and accessible creative arts and improvisation training for people of all backgrounds and skill levels. Following five years of meticulous planning, this major milestone marks the physical beginning of a new chapter for Newcastle’s cultural landscape.

The hub is designed to serve as a dedicated, welcoming community space to exchange ideas, learn, and grow. Once complete, the fully refurbished facility will operate seven days and nights a week, featuring dedicated workshop rooms, a performance space, and a community café-bar.

As the established home of Newcastle’s improv community, Boho Arts will use the new venue to anchor its year-round School of Improv programme, which spans four experience levels from absolute beginners to advanced performance opportunities. The opening of the hub will also see the launch of an exciting new, inclusive improv programme specifically tailored for young people.

Boho Arts have been supported by the Community Foundation North East, Creative Central Newcastle, Newcastle City Council, and North East Mayoral Strategic Authority in bringing the Boho Hub to life. The design team comprises Napper Architects with Workman project managers, Gardiner & Theobald cost consultants, Clark Degnan services engineers and Adelphi structural engineers. The building contractor is Meldrum Group.

“This project is about creating a true Third Place – somewhere between home and work – where people feel safe to show up, take part, and be themselves. We’re incredibly grateful to the North East Combined Authority and Newcastle City Council for their backing and confidence in our vision and to everyone in our community who has donated along the way, supported us, taken part in our work, shared ideas, and cheered us. We couldn’t have reached this point without any of you.”
Bev Fox, CEO and Co-Artistic Director, Boho Arts