Lyric Hammersmith Given Half a Million by Arts Council
Grant will enable modernisation of stage, sound and backstage facilities
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Picture: H&F Council
April 20, 2026
The Lyric Hammersmith has secured more than half a million pounds to upgrade its stage lighting, sound and backstage areas, after successfully bidding for £534,227 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Creative Foundations Fund. The award, which is administered and delivered by Arts Council England, marks a major investment in the theatre as it celebrates its 130th anniversary.
The funding will support the Lyric’s Light Up The Lyric project, which will replace ageing equipment, improve working conditions behind the scenes and convert the theatre to full LED stage lighting — a move that will cut energy use and reduce the venue’s environmental impact. The grant will also pay for a modernised sound system and essential capital works that the theatre says are urgently needed.
Executive director Amy Belson welcomed the announcement, describing it as transformative for the venue’s future. “We’re absolutely delighted – it will make a huge impact,” she said. “These improvements will ensure we can continue to produce world-class work, both on-stage and off-stage, for years to come.”
Hammersmith & Fulham Council, which provides ongoing support to the Lyric, said the investment aligns with its ambition to make the borough one of the best places in London to live, work and socialise.
The grant comes as part of a wider national package supporting 24 museums, libraries and cultural venues.
The Lyric’s upgrade works will begin shortly, with the theatre expected to phase improvements around its performance schedule to minimise disruption. The venue says it looks forward to unveiling the refreshed facilities as part of its milestone anniversary year.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |